Georgia Tech Welcome speech

I thought it was kind of a suck-up reference to their famous fight song, but reasonably politic (for an engineer).

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

Nick was on the debate team at Desert Vista. ...Jim Thompson

This just shows you only got half the ability to denigrate that you half brother Phil does.

Mikek

One dislike, which is probably yours.

Yes, the interview is superficial. I would not expect Fox News to interrogate him, or to dig deep into his past and beliefs in order to produce an "in depth" interview. To his credit, he doesn't fall apart with nervousness, doesn't appear to be faking anything, answers the superficial questions directly, does not wander, is very polite, and knows how to smile. We should all do as well.

Here's the rest of the speech, which includes 10 tips for success. 6:48 I probably violated all 10 tips at one time or other (especially about doing the laundry regularly). He also mentioned MATLAB and got some applause.

Thanks for the link, I see it has 25 dislikes, well, 26 now, so I'm not the only one sickened by that joke presentation which lies somewhere between a Southern Baptist sermon and a ripoff infomertial. How a man of your experi ence falls for such crap is beyond me.

Sheeeesh! Crotchety old git >:-} ...Jim Thompson

I disagree. The motivations for dislikes vary. It might be someone from a neighboring competing skool. It could be someone that is jealous of the speaker. It might simply be a viewer who wants to be part of a problem. It could be terminal dyslexia. It might be someone from the middle east, where thumbs up is an obscene gesture. It could be a Georgia Tech dropout or flunkout. Plenty of other possibilities for a thumbs down, that doesn't require agreeing with your summary judgement.

It's a difference in perspective. I tend to favor the positive, even though it's so much easier being critical, name calling, and attaching labels. I prefer to look beyond the current amateurish presentation, and allow my crystal ball to conjure the possibilities for his future. As long as he's not discouraged by those like yourself, I believe that he will do quite well and go far.

This is an example of real sophistication:

That other thing is ghetto by comparison.

Arianna Huffington is 63 years old and head of a successful company. Nick Selby is perhaps 20 years old and has yet to even work for a company. Her speech was to a more educated graduating class. His was to a new freshmen class, less educated, and far less certain of their destiny with perhaps half or more of those entering college dropping out before graduation. Her speech was to give graduating seniors direction. His was to give entering freshmen reassurance that they were in the right place. Her 24 minute speech was from prepared notes. His speech was 7 minutes and memorized. Her speech was to set herself up as a living example of what the graduates can achieve. His was to set the entering class as his friends.

Had her speech been to the Smith College entering freshmen, I suspect they would have been confused by the references, lost by the topic, and wondering what any of it had to do with them. Similarly, his speech would have seemed trivial and juvenile to a class of graduating seniors. It's amazing how much can change in 4 years of skool. I would not expect equal quality or sophistication from such a disparity in years, experience, target audience, and allowed time. Try again.

You missed the point. One was a speech and the other a carnival act. If there is a freshmen welcome speech at Smith, I'm sure it wouldn't look like that GIT atrocity.

Not exactly. Fred is a lot less cranky than Phil Allison, no less sound on technical issues, and sound on a wider range of technical issues. If you claim that he's uninspired, you merely label yourself as imperceptive.

On the other hand, he denigrates more accurately. Sadly, you aren't all that bright - not stupid, but not in the same class as Phil Allison or Fred Bloggs.

ific] giants" eh? Kinda pathetic, unimpressive, narcissistic rant...

hat

ral psychologists and that's about it.

John Larkin's judgement isn't great. He believes denialist propaganda about global warming, and thinks that half-witted boosterism is the right kind o f introduction for university freshmen. If he were a freshman, one could ho pe that he might mature, but he's clearly made the transition from juvenile self-satisfaction to elderly self-congratulation without passing through m aturity on the way.

You also missed or ignored my point, that college entry and exit speeches are quite different, that the 43 year difference in the ages of the speakers might have an effect on the quality of the speeches, and that a non-cerebral pep talk just might be appropriate for new freshmen.

I wouldn't be so certain that the next entrance speech at Smith College will be in the same serious style as the graduation speech. The popularity of the GT YouTube video will guarantee that there will copies and adaptations. We will need to wait until next year, where I predict background music and overly animated pep talks will be tried by other skools and possibly become the norm. Whether this has any effect on the quality of education is doubtful, but it does make boring speeches far more survivable.

Arianna Huffington is a leftist nutcase. And UGLY! That must be the appeal to Bloggs >:-} ...Jim Thompson

If Bloggs doesn't like it, it must be great.

Bloggs was on a curdled milk carton.