I've Finally Figured it Out.

Yes, it's 3:33 am. No, I haven't been drinking. Sorry. No drunk blog posts today! :-P

It's no secret that I want to leave Ohio. One visit to this site and you'll know that I am indubitably obsessed with Minneapolis. To friends I have lamented that in lieu of my disdain towards Ohio I wish I could make myself enjoy it here. I've even asked for suggestions from many different people on how to like Ohio better, all whom had no idea how to help. However, I think I've figured it out.

I was reading an article today about a successful marketer. When asked what his greatest mistake was, he said that he wished he had fully experienced some of his earlier jobs instead of focusing all of his efforts towards a promotion. He said that many of the mistakes he made as a manager could have been avoided if he had spent more time learning as a regular associate, instead of making that big promotion his every yearning goal and purpose.

Here in Columbus, I am working towards that promotion. Every day I slash a number off my countdown to the day I leave Ohio, which has been going since it was in the 700-days number. I focus hard on school, but I'm only doing it so that I can prepare myself for Minnesota and for grad school. Essentially I am doing exactly what this marketer did; instead of maximizing my time here in Ohio, I only have the end in mind. It's like a race and I'm focused solely on mile 25, not caring about the first 24 that I need to go through to get there.

Clearly this isn't a revelation; I think anyone with a brain knows that focusing on the end goal while forgoing the steps to get there isn't a winning strategy. But, that's how I have been operating for basically the past two years. Reading this article made me realize that Minneapolis is the promotion I want, but I currently do not have the skills to maintain that job. I need one more year (385 days) to get those skills. So instead of whining and complaining that "Oh, I wish I lived in a real city", my new outlook is that I am simply not ready for that real city. I am not good enough. I do not have the skills, but I'm on my way there. And when March 21st, 2010 comes along, I'll finally the get the promotion I've worked for (then) 4 years for.

It's funny how perspective really changes everything. Someone I admire once said to me, "Perception is reality", and I've always liked that. (Philosophically speaking this is entirely wrong, but it's true to a certain degree of one's outlook on things). By this new perspective, the "I'm not ready" perspective, I really think I can do the next year.

Finally.

Bike Sharing Program in The US.

Remember when I lamented that bike sharing programs could never come to America? Well, I was wrong. And take a guess where it's coming...?

The mayor of Minneapolis is looking to join [European] cities' ranks and embrace [Minneapolis'] rising status as a bike-commuting town by dropping 1,000 bicycles into Downtown, Uptown and the University of Minnesota campus next spring.

Industry experts say technological advances have paved the way to make bike-sharing programs a reality. In Minneapolis, bikes would be secured in solar-powered docks, and bikes would be unlocked by a subscriber's key card.

The bikes Minneapolis would use were designed by Stationnement de Montréal, which, oddly enough, is Montreal's parking authority. The agency manages Montreal's paid on-street parking and public parking lots, and the company designed a bike-sharing program inspired by European programs already in place. Time magazine ranked Montreal's "Bixi" bike one of the 50 best inventions of 2008, and Montreal's program will also roll out next spring.

The Minneapolis bikes would have covered chains and gears internal to the hubs, so it's less easy for bikers to damage the three-speed mechanics. The broad frame is designed to be easy to clean and it has a large adjustable seat, a basket and a unisex design. Electric generation powered by movement of the front wheel would automatically light up rear lights on the bike.

Riders could take out the bikes for a half-hour at no extra charge. Annual subscriptions would cost $50–$75. The bike program is designed for quick one-way trips that are about one to three miles. Riders could check online to make sure bikes are available at the nearest dock, and when they arrive at their destinations, 1,500 more dock points than bikes should ensure there is space for bike returns. (In Barcelona, trucks redistribute bikes throughout the day to ensure adequate supplies.) Stations would be positioned about 400–500 meters apart so people theoretically wouldn't walk too far to reach their destinations.

The cost to install 1,000 bikes at 75 docks is estimated to be $3 million, and city officials have applied for a series of grants to pay startup costs. The City of Lakes Nordic Ski Foundation, the organization that runs the annual Loppet skiing event around the Minneapolis lakes, developed a nonprofit model that Minneapolis could use for its bike-sharing program.

Exact locations for bike docks aren't yet determined, but they would be movable. Consultants on the project say that will make our bike-sharing system a lot less expensive than the one in Paris, which has bike stations permanently entrenched in the ground. Minneapolis' bike stations would be removed during the winter.

I don't think I've ever been so happy to have been wrong.

I'm Calling BULLSHIT.

Forbes has produced yet another list, but this time it is their list of the country's greatest universities--and I'm calling it bullshit. Their methodology involves ranking the Universities by number of rhodes scholars or nobel prize winners, number of alumnus on the Who's Who List of Americans, and also percentage of students who graduate within four years. I know you're thinking it, too--WTF?!

They have The Ohio State University, an internationally recognized research institution, ranked at #292. Although we are the flagship University of the state of Ohio and a member of the revered Big Ten, they put tiny and unknown all-male Wabash College way ahead of us. They ranked it #12.

Speaking of the Big Ten, University of Minnesota, the fourth largest school in the country, was ranked at #524, and University of Wisconsin-Madison, a beacon of prestige, was ranked at #335. Honestly, this is outrageous. They even have the historically significant Howard University ranked at #560!

I'm amazed that they even published this list. Not only because of my Buckeye Pride, but because this list could not be any more bogus. It's insulting to see the well-respected University of Maryland at College Park at #410 and then never-heard-of Occidental College almost 200 places above it at #233. Ridiculous!

Safe Road Maps.

I don't have enough time to blog about this (exams tonight and tomorrow), but I think my future school University of Minnesota has developed quite possibly the most amazing online program. It's called Safe Road Maps (.org) and it is a website that allows anyone to log on and view high-frequency accident areas all over the world. It utilizes Google Map technology, so it is user-friendly yet simultaneously technologically savvy (oh, and did I mention fun?). Here is a link to the brief introduction video!

Since my future is in both Transportation Planning and Transportation Engineering, seeing a program like this developed at my future school strikes a huge sense of pride in me...and also an incredible sense of excitement! I wonder what things we'll be developing when I'm there? :-P