Newsletters, Nao, and Disarray

Well, this is my second blog entry. Sorry for the lateness, but I have been quite busy. Well, time to update the masses on “life at IASTED”.

So far, the busiest part of my week has been making electronic newsletters. I have been playing around with the format –I tried text-only, I tried with pictures (I noticed IE always seems to alter my images), and some other formats. I’m wondering what is most effective. Anyone have an opinion: text-only vs. newsletter with pictures, which would you choose?

On top of this, I have written some e-mails and created a few advertisements. I wrote an e-mail to a company that participated in IASTED’s 10th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Applications (AIA 2010) and was asking them to participate in AIA 2011. This company is called Aldebaran, and if you have never seen their “Nao” robot, please click here! I watched a few videos and browsed around, and I thought it was one of the cutest and neatest inventions.

Do I want a Nao robot?

Answer: Who wouldn’t?

So, if anyone read my status, they probably understand that my neck is having issues. That is a major downfall with an office job: since one is sitting at a computer for so long, they are stressing their body. Everyone learns about ergonomics one way or another, but I don’t think anyone truly understands the importance of stretching and relaxing when sitting at a desk until they experience it firsthand.

I have started to participate in some conference planning. Yes, the conference is a secret, but as time progresses, you all might be hearing more about it in the near future ;).

So, here, I leave you all with the question of the day: If you could have an exhibition on anything (and I mean ABSOLUTELY anything!), what would it be? Leave your comments at the end of this post and be heard. I’m very curious as to what everyone has to say.

So, to wrap up this entry:
-Workplace Survival 101 Tip: Bring leftovers from dinner (if you have any) for lunch to switch things up –it is cheaper than buying and will add a change up to your usual workday.
-Goal for the week: Get organized.

Well, that’s about it. Over and out.

Yours faithfully,

-Poppy.

First Week at IASTED Calgary

So, it is approximately 3 in the afternoon on a Monday, and I feel that I should recap what the first week of working at IASTED Calgary was like.

Before I go into the major details of my escapades at working at IASTED, I think I need to outline the major preconceptions of (highly likely) most Co-op students:

1. You are going to be the coffee maker/server.

Myth Busted: The only coffee getting that occurs is if you want to make it yourself. Seeing as I don’t drink coffee (sacrilege, I know), I haven’t made any, not even once =).

2. No one would actually give you tasks requiring responsibility.

Myth Busted: This one is completely untrue. In my first week alone I have created 3 different newsletters, an advertisement for a journal, re-done a brochure for ordering journals, and sent out and prepared a sponsorship package for a potential sponsor.

3. Working an office job is easy.

Myth Busted: Not at all. You would think sitting down in front of a computer is easy, but it certainly is not, and it also is most certainly not just sitting down. I have had to commute from one desk to the next in order to correspond with various people in the workplace to approve and complete projects.

So, given we have all the misconceptions out of the way, here are my initial observations from working at IASTED Calgary.

First of all, the hours are flexible. This means that there are two sets of hours, and you can come in and leave between those two sets as long as you fulfill the minimum requirement of 37.5 hours per week. This I find very useful, for I can leave early if I need to or stay a bit later or come earlier if I need to get work done. Secondly, the people here are very friendly and made me feel quite comfortable when I was settling in the first week. Also, IASTED is located very close to the Calgary’s Farmers’ Market, which is convenient especially when the summer months roll around. After work, I can easily pick up some fresh fruits and veggies. Yum.

The Downside is probably the traffic jam coming and going home. It takes quite a bit of time to go to and from work, but of course, almost everyone probably understands exactly what I am talking about.

So, some things to wrap up this entry:

-Workplace Survival 101 tip: Remember to stretch every once in a while. I came home stiff in the neck the first day. Not a pleasant sensation.
-Goal for this week: Fix up a brochure I have been struggling with.
-Quote for the time being: "No pain, no gain" –Unknown

Well, that’s it for now.

Yours, confused but staying optimistic,

-Poppy.