Thursday, May 26, 2005

Dr. Irwin Mark Jacobs, the First CONNECT Hall of Fame Inductee.

Today I attended the CONNECT luncheon honoring Dr. Irwin Mark Jacobs, Chairman and CEO of QUALCOMM, the pioneering leader of Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) digital technology that in all likely hood runs your cell phone. Dr. Jacobs shared his story, including personal insights, distilling it all into a simple message; he is a very lucky person. However, luck aside, it is readily apparent that Dr. Jacobs has worked extremely hard to build QUALCOMM into the world class technology leader it is today. Among many of his other accomplishments, philanthropy, and strong family ties, Dr. Jacobs pointed to the importance of education, at all levels, as being a cornerstone of this country’s future. He clearly sees a bright future connected and educated via increasingly powerful mobile computers we fondly carry around in the form of a cell phone.

Dr. Jacobs and his wife, Joan, continue their generous support of UCSD, SDSU, Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, Museum of Contemporary Art, the San Diego Center for Children and the Salk Institute.

It was my pleasure to introduce Dr. Jacobs to Dr. Howard Evans, Dean of the School of Engineering and Technology at National University. They had a nice chat about engineering and education.

Special thanks to San Diego National Bank members, Robert, Linda, Harvey, Krista, Susan, and Dave for letting me sit at their table. San Diego National Bank is a Contributing Sponsor for this event.

Dr. Irwin Jacobs, Founder, Chairman and CEO of CDMA giant QUALCOMM became the first inductee into CONNECT�s Hall of Fame today at Estancia in La Jolla, CA. (Pictured Right)
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Wednesday, May 25, 2005


The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger at Golden State Breakfast Posted by Hello

The Golden State Breakfast

I just returned from The Golden State Reception and Breakfast, held annually in Sacramento for the last 79 years. The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of the State of California gave the keynote address in which he stressed the importance of making California a business friendly State again. He also blasted the legislators for giving themselves a pay raise. The Governor made some interesting observations regarding California teachers. As I made my way into the convention center there were maybe a hundred or so protestors, some of them attempted to have me sign a petition. There was no where near the ‘thousands of protestors’ that I saw quoted in a few papers. The protestors included teachers, firefighters, and other union members. The teachers want more money pumped into what many consider a failed school system. Maybe some of them should look at National University as a great model for education because it more closely resembles what the future of education is all about. National has to perform or go out of business.

During the Reception I spoke briefly with ex-Governor Pete Wilson and introduced him to my wife and daughter. I had the opportunity to speak with many business leaders throughout the reception and breakfast, each of whom showed a keen interest in National University and I can happily report that National has an outstanding reputation in the community. It looks as if National University is ‘performing’ well.

Schwarzenegger blasts legislators' pay raise By: BETH FOUHY

Schwarzenegger blasts legislators' pay raise By: BETH FOUHY - AP Political Writer
SACRAMENTO (AP) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger stepped up his attack on the Democrat-controlled state Legislature Wednesday, chiding lawmakers for getting a pay raise despite the state's ongoing fiscal problems."Isn't that interesting?" Schwarzenegger said in a speech to the California Chamber of Commerce. "Instead of giving the people that really need the money -- like education, health care, healthy families, the poor people, the blind people -- instead of giving them more money, the legislators decided they need the money first. So they're taking the money first."
On Monday, an independent state commission granted legislators a 12 percent pay increase, boosting their annual salaries for the first time since 1998. Beginning in December, lawmakers in both houses will see their salaries increase from $99,000 to $110,880 -- the highest compensation in the country for state legislators.
The pay hike came amid forecasts that the state's 2006-2007 budget would carry a shortfall estimated to be at least $5 billion.The increase cannot be overturned by legislators or the governor, but Schwarzenegger and his aides said lawmakers could turn it down or refuse to accept it. Schwarzenegger, a multimillionaire, does not accept his $175,000 annual salary.Still, a review of Schwarzenegger's staff salaries by The Associated Press last year showed the Republican governor spends about eight percent more on staff salaries than did his predecessor, Democratic Gov. Gray Davis. He also is paying more salaries of $100,000 or higher within his inner circle than Davis did.In his speech before about 2,000 state business leaders, Schwarzenegger said he had been willing to consider the idea that legislators deserve a raise after seven years of no increases."So I sat down and started thinking about it," he said in a mocking voice, relating how former Gov. Pete Wilson, Davis' predecessor, left the state a surplus. "They have spent all of that money and they went and created a $22 billion debt. And They continue to spend more than we have. And they have chased businesses out of the state and jobs out of the state. They took the economy right down into the toilet and almost made the state go into bankruptcy."Yes, they deserve a raise! That's fair!" he said, drawing laughs from the crowd. "Under any normal circumstances, they would be fighting to keep their jobs, and keep their salaries."By mid-June, Schwarzenegger is expected to call a November special election for voters to consider three measures aimed at reforming state government -- an automatic spending cap, legislative redistricting and a proposal to make it harder for teachers to receive tenure.Schwarzenegger has cast legislators as the principal antagonists in his reform efforts and said their unwillingness to negotiate had forced him to take his proposals before voters.Democrats, for their part, have said they would be willing to negotiate with the governor. In a statement released Tuesday, Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez called on Schwarzenegger to "clear his schedule" for a meeting with legislative leaders and said he would be willing to do the same.The pay increase was yet another "data point" in the governor's argument that legislators were not interested in doing their part to reform the state, Schwarzenegger spokesman Vince Sollitto said.Nunez spokesman Steve Maviglio said Schwarzenegger had failed to named two commissioners to the board that determines state salaries, and that several legislators already have announced they will refuse the pay increase or donate the additional money to nonprofit organizations.But, Maviglio said, "Not everyone can be a billionaire movie star to serve in public office."Thomas Dominguez, a member of the commission that approved the salary hike, said the increase was needed so residents who are not wealthy can run for office."Taking no action only ensures that the Legislature becomes a place for the rich and famous, and I am not interested in making it or keeping it a place for the rich and famous," Dominguez said.As with most of his public appearances in recent months, Schwarzenegger was greeted by several dozen noisy protesters outside the downtown convention center. Shortly after he began his speech, a handful of protesters began shouting in the back of the room before being ushered out by police.Schwarzenegger also stopped by a Sacramento-area charter school Wednesday, telling some 500 middle and high school students that he had boosted state education funding but that reforms were needed to make schools even better."If we just threw money at you kids, we wouldn't be doing our job," he said.The school visit came before a scheduled afternoon rally outside the Capitol in which teachers were expected to criticize the governor's education policies.

Golden State Breakfast Posted by Hello

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of the State of California as he is introduced by the Sacramento Host Committee at the Golden State Breakfast. Posted by Hello

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger Posted by Hello

Friday, May 20, 2005

FCC gives VoIP service providers 4 months to launch 911

The FCC this week ruled that VoIP service providers must offer access to 911 emergency calls within the next four months or they will not be able to offer service in the US. The ruling marks a radical departure from the hands-off regulatory approach that marked the tenure of former FCC Chairman Michael Powell. The FCC didn't order the incumbent telecoms to provide direct access to their 911 systems, but the FCC warned that it expected their cooperation. Several incumbent telecoms have recently begun to voluntarily offer 911 access for a fee to some Internet phone service providers.
The decision is getting a mixed reception from industry insiders. Some see the ruling as a positive step forward. They hope the ruling will compel the incumbents to open up their E911 systems to Internet phone companies. Others see the decision as useless regulation that probably cannot be enforced. Requiring E911 access in such a short period of time could force many smaller VoIP startups out of business. There is also no way to gauge how this decision will affect peer-to-peer Internet telephony services like Skype. The FCC's decision on VoIP also stands in stark contract to the commission's regulations on E911 for cellular carriers. Despite missing deadlines, cellular E911 rollouts are still not complete, with larges parts of the country still without coverage.
For more on the FCC's E911 decision:- read this report from today's Wall Street Journal (sub. req.)

Tuesday, May 17, 2005

Structured Blogging

Follow the link above to a very interesting article about the power of blogs by bob wyman.

Degree of Surprise.

Recently, during the process of renting a car at Enterprise, I was rather impressed by the service I received from Steve Grau, the young man who waited on me. He just seemed a cut above most car rental employees I have encountered. As he escorted me toward the rental I was surprised to learn that his company only hires college graduates. No degree, no employment. It occurred to me that the era of the gold watch has totally been replaced by the revolving door mentality, making a college degree one of many boxes that must be checked by HR departments. If that is the case, does it matter what degree you have? Not really, according to the young man. Obviously, there will always be careers that require a high level of specialization and therefore a targeted degree; law and medicine come to mind. But for many careers a degree has become simply a required ticket to enter; not the training for the work itself. As the revolving door rotates open for each of us more often throughout our short lived careers, it might be worth noting that it is more important to get a degree, than to worry about which degree to get. Alternatively, if you have a degree but have not found work in your degreed field it might be time to look outside your field.

Fearless Learners, Fearful Schools

Good article by Will R. See link above

Whether it's Bill and Melinda Gates lamenting the state of American high schools, the CEO of the week lamenting the ongoing slippage in our ability to keep pace with the rest of the world, or Thomas Friedman lamenting our lack of a crisis-mode mentality about it all, it's getting harder and harder to deny that we're headed toward a serious wake-up call regarding this country's competitive capabilities in a world that is becoming increasingly more connected. The rest of the world has always wanted what we have. The difference now is that more and more it's easier to get. They don't have to come here to get an education or a good paying job. And our problem is we've become far too complacent, urged to shop rather than to take up the challenge.
The challenge is to create students who are lifelong learners rather than successful test takers. One of the phrases that Alan consistently uses in his presentations is "fearless learners," that we have to give our students the tools and the skills to find relevant information and use it well on their own. That we need to teach them to literally revel in the learning process and the collaborative, social construction of knowledge that it creates. That the teacher to student vertical model doesn't cut it any longer. I sincerely believe that is what the Read/Write Web can do, that it can provide the means for our students to create their own learning opportunities, that it can teach them how to negotiate meaning, how to find truth, and how to become a lifelong learner. I believe this because it's my own experience, and because I see more and more of it every day in this community of learners.
But here is the struggle, of course. Schools are not fearless. They are fearful. And they are fearful of a whole bunch of stuff that when you get down to it doesn't have much relevance to whether a student can learn or not. They're fearful of students not passing the test. They're fearful of communities not passing the budget. They're fearful of parents getting upset when their children don't make the grade.
And they're fearful about blogs and Flickr and the like. It's becoming obvious that there are many, many schools who are blocking blogs and Flickr and the rest out of concern for a students welfare or because some misconceived notion that there's nothing educational to be found in the tools. I would argue that while we should be aware of the risks, the risks can be minimized by thoughtful practice and effective instruction. Thousands of kids are blogging in schools safely, and they are learning in the process. Schools that don't find ways to bring these tools into the curriculum are denying their students and teachers all sorts of learning opportunities and not preparing their students for what lies ahead.
But is more to it, obviously. Schools are equally if not more fearful of their own reputations. The transparency of all of this is the real problem, I think, not the safety issue. Take this, for instance:
Unfortunately, incidents like these have made my district shut down blogging sites on our network. I can't blame the IT department for doing this. Lord knows the last thing we need is a public scandal.The public scandal should be that we're not doing our jobs to model and teach students the appropriate, educational use of technologies they are already using outside of school. Sure, they may come across something we don't want them to see, but let's teach them how to deal with that. Let's talk to them about why what they see is inappropriate or demeaning or harmful or whatever. Denying access only teaches them that we're either at a loss for how to deal with the reality or too scared to do so.

Wednesday, May 11, 2005


My friend Mohammad, a graduate of National University.
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Engineers Needed

California’s technical capacity is the engine that drives our local economy. During the last 30 years the United States has dropped from 3rd to 13th in terms of the number of 24-year-olds holding Natural Science and Engineering degrees and I am sure that California reflects a high percentage of that decline. California often leads the nation in innovation and I believe it is imperative that we as a state and nation push these numbers back up.

During the past 8 months I have had the opportunity to speak with a number of industry leaders in various technical fields and one common theme that seems to thread its way around the conversation is the lack of qualified engineers who can present themselves well. It is described to me as the kind of engineer that understands a particular technology from a high level, can drill down to a certain extent, but mainly has the people skills needed to present to clients. This type of individual is apparently hard to find, especially in San Diego.

If one were too take into account an aging population, many of whom may want to improve their odds of obtaining a bigger salary or simply to protect their turf from an up-and-coming engineer with multiple Ph. D’s who will often work harder for less pay, than it seems to me that more people will be heading back to school.

This is where I believe that the School of Engineering and Technology (SOET) at National University has an opportunity to shine. SOET caters to working adults who want to further their education and I believe provides the educational standards that meet the requirements described above.

SOET is not a place to go for advanced research, UCSD fits that bill. SOET does not have a desire to become one of the top 5 engineering schools in the United States, SDSU can stake that claim. SOET does provide a cost effective and timely means of attaining the skills required by the industry leaders that I have been speaking with.

SOET can help get California back on top as the technical mover and shaker in the next wave of innovation.

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

Interop Lab

Interoperability is a term that will become much more common place as customers discover that more and more of the networked products they purchase are not compatible. Large company’s that own divisions who build various networked products cannot seem to even be compatible amongst their sister products much less be compatible with a competitors goods.

This will change. Companies must have interoperability testing between their own products as well as making sure they are compatible with the networked products of their competitors.

How will this be accomplished?

It would be interesting for SOET to take this on as a start-up project. SOET could provide the space, equipment, develop the testing protocols and even provide interns to perform some of the testing functions. Naturally, the lab would charge a fee for the testing. Any ideas?

Monday, May 09, 2005

Blogs: Changing Business

By clicking on the title above you will be directed to an article in Business Week regarding blogs. Read it, learn it, use it, or weep later.

San Diego Regional Homeland Security Interoperability & Testing Center

The vision of a San Diego Regional Homeland Security Interoperability & Testing Center was first described to me by Eric Frost and Bob Welty, both with SDSU, and I want them to have the credit.

The idea is to have a unique environment whereby students from multiple university’s would have the opportunity to work on vendor’s products in a hands-on fashion gaining relevant real world experience while at the same time assisting government agencies “test” new equipment on legacy frameworks.

Eric and Bob have envisioned a very win-win situation. Businesses, the vendor’s, would have a location to showcase new technologies, students would gain knowledge and exposure, and government agencies could see real-time interactions between new and existing technologies. It could provide a fantastic test bed for all type of technologies. The result of all this effort will be the general public who are provided a cost effective method to achieve a better level of protection/response from all types of emergency situations.

The center must be at arms length from the business community and government agencies to provide a non-bias point of reference. A university setting provides a nice medium and National University might be in a position to render assistance.

I would like your feedback as to how this vision can become a real operation.

See also: Master of Science Homeland Security And Safety Engineering
Dr. Shekar Viswanathan, Lead Faculty sviswana@nu.edu

http://www.nu.edu/Academics/Schools/SOET/AppliedEngineering/degrees/720-818.html

Alumni

For those of you who are recent graduates I want to hear from you. What do you plan to do with your new degree? What are some success story’s you have to share?

For those of you who have been out of the scholastic system for a while I want to hear from you as well. Has your degree helped you achieve your goals? What are some success story’s you have to share? Knowing what you know now what would you have done differently?

Since this is a blog I started, I suppose in all fairness I should share my experience first. My wife, a Ph. D. in Mathematics from Ohio State, and I have five kids between us, almost the Brady Bunch you might say. The older kids began questioning the merits of attending college vs. simply going out into the job market or starting a business immediately after High School. The argument was that since I did not finish college, why should they even bother starting? Thinking back to my senior year at U.C. Irvine I began to wonder why I never completed my degree in Bio-Chemistry? Naturally, I could conjure up many reasons why it never got done but now with the prospect of having kids follow in my footsteps I decided to remove the argument off of their platter by finishing what I started. After checking with U.C. Irvine I found, to my utter amazement, that they do not under any circumstances admit seniors…..period! As it turns out when I stopped attending school I lacked a quarter, 4 classes, from getting my degree. After twenty plus years since I attended college I was now facing three years, if I could even get into the system, before I could graduate. Wow…that hurt and I got the same story from UCSD.

Somewhere along the line I had heard about National University. After comparing what National had to offer vs. University of Phoenix, I decided to enroll at National, whereby I could complete the minimum 10 month residency requirement, I had more than enough credits, and get my degree post haste. The shortest path was a liberal arts degree. Another factor for me was that National's program was superior, in my opinion, to Phoenix.

However, my first class ended up being the starting class of a string in the Information Systems program, and liked it. I got to know some of the staff, and opted to continue the program even though it would require 8 more months than the 10 I originally counted on.

It was a lot of work and my kids put my grades under a microscope. Anything less than an A brought a great deal of harassment from them. I will note for the record that it is not easy to get an A at National so I caught my share of grief when some B’s appeared.

In April of 2004, I received a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Systems. It was a proud accomplishment that I feel great about.

Additionally, my oldest son who is finishing High School this year wants to attend UCSD after a six month break. Was it worth it…..absolutely!!!

http://www.nu.edu/Alumni.html

Thursday, May 05, 2005

Motorola: A cell phone story.

Ever had a problem with your cell phone and I do mean the phone itself? Where do you take it to get repaired? It is a problem.

There are many phone manufacturers like Motorola and Nokia, but generally you purchase the phone from a carrier that provides the telecommunications service. Phone's are typically included along with a contract and carriers love contracts. As long as the contract is active the carriers are happy and they truly don’t care about much else. They especially don’t care about your phone nor do they want to be involved in the fix. The phone manufacture on the other hand ends up not having a direct relationship with the customer and the carrier does not want them in contact. The phone manufacturer ends up not getting the feedback on design flaws or other related problems with the phone itself.

My wife has the Razor phone by Motorola and my kids all have various Motorola cell phones. We have had problems with them all and could not get it resolved.

As fate would have it however, during a meeting of the San Diego Telecomm Council last month my wife asked a question to the key-note speaker, the president of NTT DOCOMO USA. Little did she know at the time but sitting in the audience were a couple of Motorola executives that happen to remember her from the AT&T days. After the meeting they approached my wife (Mona) and reconnected.

This leads me into two future topics that I will cover extensively; Networking and Interoperability Testing.

Mona told them about the cell phone issue as well as a problem on a Motorola MP-3 player our daughter has. I will say in Motorola’s behalf that they got on the program and truly addressed the issue. Mona was contacted by several groups who took detailed notes about the problems. Motorola also immediately sent out replacement phones and directed us to a special link to reprogram the MP-3 player.

The point is that once Motorola found out that there was a problem they solved it. You have to get to the right level within the organization to get something done and Mona certainly did that.

National University has 17,000 plus students, plus faculty, plus alumni, and all the connections we each have. What a tremendous network and resource that a company like Motorola can use for product testing in the future. Let me know your ideas on this topic.

More on product testing and interoperability in the future.

The Point

The purpose of this blog is to generate interest for the School of Engineering and Technology at National University. I want your help, feedback, participation, ideas, comments, links, or any other assistance that will help the school, the students, the faculty, the alumni, and hopefully the end result is a better community. The School of Engineering and Technology shall be referred to as SOET.

SOET is actively involved on many fronts that will be discussed in this blog. My goal is that you truly derive something useful from this site.