The first is when I need directions or need to talk to a local and I’m not with someone who can actually speak the language fairly well.  The second is the conveniences of home.  Everything here closes at 8pm, is rarely open on Sundays, and there are very few non-specialized stores.  Meaning, you need to travel to several different types of stores for items that you could buy all at Target or Walmart.

Public transportation is never reliable, so typically people don’t get mad when you are late.  Mostly everyone is very easy going and friendly.  At least a few times a week I will have strangers begin a conversation with me, almost out of nowhere.  However, it usually ends quickly once they realize I can’t speak Italian.

As far as the education in Rome, I know it is very different than the US, but I’m in a program for Americans I have not experienced much of Italian methods of teaching.  I do have Italian teachers, though, and what I have noticed is that they typically have lecture classes and the students are only evaluated with a midterm and final exam.  I’m personally not a fan of that method, but that is the style they use.

In all, I’m having a wonderful time so far in Rome and I plan to come live here (or at least visit) again at some point in my life! Ciao <3

Halo Wars includes an extensive selection of available units and is extremely easy to play once players gain an understanding of the controls. In addition, the entire campaign contains an abundant supply of scenarios for players to complete. Unfortunately, players are unable to play as the Flood and can only play as the Covenant in multiplayer mode. Additionally, few multiplayer options are available and players can only utilize a limited number of units on their map.

Overall, Halo Wars is a successful foray into the RTS genre that effectively contributes to the series’ overall storyline.

Pros:

+ Extensive selection of UNSC and Covenant forces

+ Easy to play once players grasp the controls

+ Engaging storyline and cut scenes

+ Excellent mission variety in campaign mode

Cons:

- The Covenant are not playable in campaign mode and the Flood are not playable at all

- Small unit counts and map size limit the scale of battles

- Very few multiplayer options available

Over the past few months, I have moved many of the projects that I am responsible for over to Wordpress.  This includes my personal website, as well as the Magazine of IST website and IST2U.  My experience with Wordpress has been overwhelmingly positive, and using this system has been highly beneficial to all three projects.  While each site has a different purpose and audience, the flexibility of the CMS has allowed me to fulfill each site’s unique requirements appropriately.

Working with IST2U has been a particularly positive experience.  By installing a few plug-ins, I have been able to integrate new features in real time as students, faculty, and administrators have requested them.  The traffic at IST2U has also grown by approximately 200% since it was re-launched using the Wordpress system.  The previous CMS, Drupal, was much more “clunky” and difficult to manage.  It also included a significantly smaller pool of attractive themes and useful plug-ins.

I have adamantly recommended Wordpress to friends and fellow organization leaders who are looking to launch new sites or revitalize existing ones.  In particular, the All-In-One SEO add-on, coupled with “pretty URLs,” (which allow Wordpress to rewrite URLs in order to include each post’s title), can dramatically improve search engine placement and your users’ ability to locate content using search engines such as Google.  The number of tutorials and forum posts regarding the configuration and optimization of Wordpress continues to grow, allowing some people to make a living deploying Wordpress sites alone.  Without a doubt, the Wordpress system has helped all of my projects to grow and better serve their respective user groups.

The event began with two presentations, which were both given by representatives from Johnson and Johnson.  Kevin Ruffe, Vice President of IT Innovation Implementation, gave the first presentation.  He highlighted some of the current projects that J&J has been working on, including their iPhone application “Careconnector.”  The second presentation, given by Jane Connell, Vice President of IT Strategic Sourcing, focused on globalization.  Connell highlighted the importance of understanding the true concept of “inclusion.”  Inclusion not only incorporates the concept of diversity, but also addresses the challenges that are associated with interacting with different cultures.  Both presentations offered numerous insights regarding issues that many IST students are likely to encounter.

After the presentations, the etiquette dinner commenced.  Facilitated by Rick Capozzi, the dinner addressed many international and domestic dining practices.  During the dinner, Rick described key practices and techniques, and then allowed the diners to practice.  The first task was learning how to hold and use chopsticks.  Here, the challenge was to eat the whole meal, which included soup, salad, a main dish, and dessert, using only the chopsticks.  While this was experience beneficial, including dishes from other cultures would have provided a broader range of experiences for the diners.  Fortunately, Rick did touch on some of these other practices as the dinner continued.  For example:

The “b” and “d.”  Forming the number three with each hand creates the letters b and d.  This can help diners to identify the drink and bread plate belongs to them.  Bread is on the left and drinks are on the right.  Diners should take care when using this technique in other countries.

No eating with the left hand in India.  In India, the left hand is considered unholy and dirty.

It is normal (and expected) to slurp your soup in Japan.

Once you have finished your meal, utensils should be laid on the plate facing the 11 and 4 o’clock positions.

When passing food around the table, the person closest to the dish should fake left and pass right.  You should offer the dish to the person to the left (but not let go of it), and then pass it to the right.

Overall, the dinner provided a vast amount of useful information regarding global dining etiquette.  Rick did a great job of pointing out the various “little things” that diners should always be aware of.  The violation of one of these social norms could potentially be a deal breaker during a business dinner.  Hopefully, IST will continue to hold internationally themed dinners in the future.

2 – AIM.  Need I say more?  AIM, Yahoo, MSN, w/e.  You can get an application on iTunes for practically any instant messaging service, although I’m partial to using the official AIM app. Sure, I hate AOL like everyone else.  But to the best of my professional knowledge, there are no free multi-IM apps that work without some really annoying bugs.  So unless you hear otherwise, save yourself the headache and just use the official one.

3 – Sudoku.  Soo-doh-koo?  Sue-doe-ku?  However it’s pronounced, this game is oddly popular among college students.  I can’t even explain why I like it so much, but I always end up getting the Collegian specifically for the Sudoku game that appears next to the horoscopes.  So if you’re anything like me, why not save some newspapers and play it on your iPhone?  Plus, it’s free, and you’re allowed to play more than one game per day.  What’s not to love?

4 – Pandora Radio.  Who needs to illegally download music or pay 99 cents per song when you can just use Pandora Radio and listen to music for free?  This application has a huge selection, directs you to similar songs, and isn’t too laggy.  I’ve found some really good new music by letting it select songs that are similar my own selections.  I highly recommend this app for anyone with an iPhone or an iPod Touch.

5 – Beer Pong Challenge.  No one likes losing a game of beer pong at a party.  Oh God, the shame!  Fortunately, the folks who created this application knew exactly what the average frat boy ‘bro’ needs: a free, fun game that simulates beer pong.  I play it all the time!  It’s a good way to spruce up on your skills.  Sure, you’re not actually throwing a ping-pong ball, and you’re only tapping a screen which probably means you’re still going to suck at playing the real world version…I guess that means that you’re doomed to live your life in shame.  But hey, who has time for parties when you have this awesome game on your iPhone?

6 – iPickuplines.  “iPickuplines generates short memorable pickup lines for use on your mobile phone or out at clubs and bars if you dare.”  The short description says it all.  Every single college guy could use some good pick up material.  Why not get some…unique…lines from iPickuplines?  Where else would a guy like me find the line: “Damn girl!  You look so sweet you’re giving me a tooth ache!”  Thanks iPickuplines, you made me the first ladies man in IST.

7 – Pulsar 1.0.  Ever have the desire to start rave in your dorm room?  Well you’re in luck!  Not only does this app function as a flashlight, it also offers several psychedelic color patterns that are sure to illuminate you local abandoned warehouse.  Turn up the Aphex Twin and break out the glow sticks, it’s party time!

8 – I Can Haz Cheezburger.  If you like cats, the internet, and funny captions, then trust me, this application is going to make you laugh.  I know this one really doesn’t have a lot to do with college life or the average college student, but I have yet to meet a single IST student who hasn’t wasted hours scrolling through photos of “lolcats.”  A priceless utility when waiting in line at Panda Express.

9 – 5800+ Drink & Cocktail Recipes Free.  Wow, the name says it all.  You’re in college, and one day you’re going to be of legal drinking age, if you’re not there already.  Using this app, you could spend more than a few good nights finding out what kind of drinks you like best.  And who knows, if you’re ever forced to work as a bartender, this app could save your life.

10 – Full Browser.  If you’re an average tech geek, then you probably miss Firefox on your iPhone.  I know I do.  I also strongly dislike Safari, probably because I’m a Windows/Linux person.  While I’m not promising that this app is going to be anything like Firefox, at least it’s not Safari.  I’ve tried it, and it’s nice.  The screen seems bigger and it appears to be a bit less laggy than the default browser.  Give it a try, you may start using it regularly.

First, locate the “Settings” Button on your iPod Touch or iPhone.  It should look like any other application, with three gray gears appearing in the icon.  Tap it in order to open the “Settings” menu.

Next, find the “General” option, and tap it once in order to go to the “General Options” menu.

This menu presents a list of options.  Find the one that says “Network” and tap it.

Inside the “Network” menu, tap the option labeled “VPN.”

Next, tap “Add VPN Configuration…”

Alright, now it’s time to configure your VPN.  This is a lot simpler than it sounds; just take it step-by-step.

On the top of the screen, you will see three buttons labeled “L2TP,” “PPTP,” and “IPSec.”

Tap the “IPSec” button and ensure that it has been selected.

Next, tap the “Description” button.

A keyboard will show up.  Type in “Mobility at PSU-UP” (without the quotes).  The description that you enter into this box does not affect how the VPN operates.  Instead, it simply helps you distinguish one VPN from another.

When you have finished typing your description, press the return key, located on the bottom right hand side of the keyboard.  This will bring you to the “Server” field.  You may also select this option manually.

In the “Server” field, type “mobility.up.psu.edu” (without the quotes), and then hit the enter key.

In the “Account” field, type your PSU account ID (i.e. abc456).  Your Penn State account ID number is the first part of your email address.  You should not include the “@psu.edu” portion of your email address.  Once you have entered this information, hit the return key.

In the “Password” field, type in your password.  This is the same password you use in order to access your email.

Hit the return key, and make sure that “Use Certificate” is turned off.

Select the “Group Name” field, and type in “pennstate” (without the quotes).  Then hit the return key.

In the “Secret” field, type “pennstate” again (without the quotes).

You’re almost done!

Hit the “Save” button, located in the top right corner of the screen.  This will save your configuration settings and toss you back to the “VPN” Menu.

Now, in order to connect to Penn State’s Wireless Network, you need to go to an area on campus that has wireless service.  Here, you should connect to the “pennstate” network.

Once you have connected to “pennstate,” you need to turn on the VPN in order to access to the Internet.  To do this, simply press the “Settings” button (the same one from the first step).

There should be a new button in this menu labeled “VPN” and containing an on/off switch.  Simply turn it on and…

Ta-dah!  You can now access the internet on your iPod Touch or iPhone.  Feel free to pass your newfound knowledge on to your friends!

Note:  Don’t get too worked up about that fact that you can’t access Apple’s App Store while using the VPN.  No one else can either.

The DLC includes approximately 20 new missions, totaling around 10 additional hours of game play.  Several new side tasks are also included, such as optional missions that involve gang wars and bike racing.  The bike racing is particularly fun, especially if you enjoyed the game “Road Rash,” which involved hitting people with a bats while racing.  Other additions include new internet pages, new TV shows, new vehicles, new music, and new games.  The graphics have also been updated in order to give the game a grittier, grainer look and feel.

Unfortunately, the friendly AI gang that accompanies you on many of the missions really cannot drive.  They often run into objects and will occasionally block your own path.  In addition, the physics still go crazy from time to time.  Who would have thought that driving over a curb in a motorcycle would cause you to fly 20 feet!

Overall, if you are a fan of Grand Theft Auto IV and are looking to expand its story, then you are sure to enjoy this DLC, but only if you are willing to shell out 20 bucks for it.

Pros

20 missions, totaling around 10 hours of game play

New music, vehicles, games, shows, and things to do

New visual elements that change the look of Liberty City

Cons

Relatively high price

The game’s physics are still crazy

The AI crew cannot drive

Mashavu means “chubby cheeks” in Swahili, the native language in Kenya. Due to the expanding population of Kenya, children are often victimized by their limited access to healthcare. This poses a great threat to the millions of orphans and children living on the streets. Mashavu is a telemedicine platform that will allow healthcare professionals from around the world to connect with patients in the rural areas of developing countries. The Mashavu kiosk will take photographs of each patient and use various biomedical devices in order to collect an assortment of medical data, including the patient’s weight, body temperature, lung capacity, blood pressure, and heart rate. This data will be transmitted to doctors using a GRPS or 3G network, both of which are popular and affordable in East Africa.

The information that is collected from patients will be aggregated on a web server. This will allow doctors from around the world to view the patient’s information. Doctors will then provide medical advice to both the patient as well as their nearest doctor; patients will only need to follow up with a local doctor if necessary. The information will also be anonymized so that it can be used by local community leaders and doctors in order to evaluate general health trends and identify epidemics.

At the Mashavu kiosk, a patient will be greeted by a trained facilitator. The facilitator will help the user to effectively interact with the kiosk so that accurate information can be gathered. The patient will be encouraged to interact directly with the software. Children will also enjoy interacting with this unique interface.

The cost of each Mashavu system will be around $200, not including a cell phone or internet link. The customer base will include orphanages, community centers, churches, and medical entrepreneurs.  Medical entrepreneurs will own their own Mashavu system, similar to owning a part of a franchise, and will charge between $0.80 and $1.00 for each visit. During summer 2008, a team conducted a survey in Tanzania in order to determine the feasibility of establishing such a business. The people of Tanzania overwhelmingly supported this venture.

Sustainability is the important feature of this system. With the Mashavu telemedicine solution in place, care will be given to those who may have never experienced sufficient healthcare. In the future, non-profit organizations may sell the Mashavu kiosks to underdeveloped regions around the world.

Tell us about your current position and what your responsibilities are. Are there any great perks?

Right now, I’m staffed on a government project where our team is there to work on several initiatives for our clients. This includes Decision Support Services (basically business intelligence as well as data warehousing), New Development (we are building a transactional system that will replace a mainframe system that manages child welfare data), Maintenance and Operations (we have numerous custom applications that we maintain to help support the different program areas), Technology and Infrastructure (our web servers and database servers), and finally Training/Technical Support.

I’m currently working with the Decision Support Services team. Our goal is to provide business users with new ways to access and evaluate the data that we are collecting in order to help make more data driven decisions, using reports, dashboards, etc. This includes ad hoc reporting from the data warehouse and creating a new reporting system for the transactional Child Welfare application.

Which office do you work at and how often to you travel?

I work from the Pittsburgh Office. Although consulting is associated with traveling, I am actually currently staffed on a local project, right here in Pittsburgh. Most other practitioners travel on a weekly basis, working from their client site four to five days a week.

What skills did you learn from IST that have been most helpful in your career with Deloitte thus far?

Problem Solving. IST did a great job of taking a textbook concept and creating a hands-on learning experience where you apply said concepts in a team. Problem-based learning may sound like a well-used term now, but it’s truly the reality. The work place isn’t an exam that has clear-cut multiple-choice answers that you take by yourself. Everything is a problem, and you learn how to work with a group of people who all have different skills and strengths to analyze, assess, ask questions, develop an approach, create the deliverable, and present a solution.

Did you intern or work anywhere other than Deloitte? What was your experience like?

I interned with CIGNA first and then with Deloitte. Both were fantastic experiences where I learned more than I could have ever hoped for. At CIGNA, I worked mostly with Quality Assurance where I tested application modifications. I also had a chance to design, document, and update changes to a CRM application according to business requirements.

Working for Deloitte as an intern allowed me to really understand and experience the life of a consultant. I didn’t make copies or get coffee but was actually expected to fly to my client site on a weekly basis and where I worked with the Project Management Office to develop and automate a dashboard measuring project progress. To top it off, I truly owned the work I did. I was the only person responsible for updating the report, creating new measures to track our progress, and presenting it at the project management meetings. By the end of my internship, it turned into a solid tracking tool used by both Deloitte and our clients, even after my term was complete. How cool is that?

How does your career with Deloitte differ from the other opportunities that you may have passed-over in favor of your current position?

Deloitte is like Baskin Robins: it’s a different flavor every day. There is always something new to try out and no room for boredom. That, in itself, is one of my favorite things about Deloitte. There are just so many opportunities in every industry possible. So, if you find that your current role isn’t the best fit for you, you can move into something completely different. That is the definition of “managing your own career,” something that Deloitte advocates by helping its employees customize the career that they may want.

What tips do you have for IST students who hope to earn a position at Deloitte? What about other industries?

Get involved! Join extracurricular activities, like the many clubs and committees that IST as to offer. It may seem like a hassle at first, but it’s a great way to learn new things, make connections, and network. If nothing else, it helps you figure out what you’re passionate about, which will help you choose the career that’s perfect for you.

What do you wish you had been more prepared for by IST? Is there something students should focus on outside of the classroom in order to prepare for a career with a consulting firm?

Prepare for the unexpected and the incredibly puzzling. Although the projects at IST are a great method for hands-on learning, I’ve bumped into more ups and downs in my 6-month tenure on my current project than in my four years at Penn State. There are always unforeseeable constraints that may pop up and learning how to roll with the punches and adapt to the situation is an art. The more experience you have with it, the quicker you can think on your feet to come up with more than one approach to your problem.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with us?

Live the epitome of “Work Hard, Play Hard.” Put in a full day’s work but never forget to find something you enjoy, if that means watching your favorite TV show, reading a book, or my personal favorite: Ballroom Dancing. The best part of it all? At Deloitte, you can probably find someone who has the same hobbies as you do.

Docomo, one of Japan’s leading manufacturers of mobile devices, has recently begun to research the use of E-paper in cellular phones.  E-paper, developed by SiPix Imaging, is “paper which uses small chambers, called microcups, that are filled with white particles and a colored liquid, allowing the E-paper to display two colors.”  This technology allows for the creation of an e-paper keypad that can change its layout based on the user’s current requirements.  For example, a keypad could be programmed to display both western text as well as Japanese characters, depending on the needs of the user.

In addition to the aforementioned use, E-paper could also be valuable for mobile gaming applications.  Here, when a game is about to be played, the keypad could be switched to display the game’s controls, rather than numbers.  Overall, E-Paper is an interesting innovation and a step forward for mobile technology.  E-paper offers a fluid alternative to the current crop of stagnant keypads and finicky touch-screens that are present in most cell phones.  Unfortunately, Docomo has yet to implement this technology within their product line.  Further innovation is needed before E-paper can become a commercially viable technology.

For more information about this technology can be found by visiting the following link: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRUjKZg6pQg&feature=channel_page>.