Tuesday, March 15, 2005

Adventures in Job Hunting

This morning a guy from IBM who works in an area I'm interested in gave me a call. It was nice talking to him. He asked me to send him a list of dates when I would be available to visit up there for two days. So it seems like things are moving along nicely there.

And today I sent my seminar abstract to my host at Sandia. I also asked him how to proceed with giving the presentation, like whether I should make transparencies or what. I don't have a laptop, and getting one in there would be quite a hassle anyhow, what with all the security precautions. I also wouldn't be able to take in my little USB drive, for the same reasons. He told me to e-mail him the slides, and also to bring along a backup copy on a CD, and give my presentation using his laptop.

That sounds like a good way to do it. I hate the idea of making transparencies. It seems like an inefficient use of plastic, because I'd use it once and then pitch it. I'll have to make sure it's not a re-writeable CD, so that they won't think I'm trying to steal anything. It's too bad that I won't be able to recycle the CD, but I hope that it's less wasteful than 50 or so transparencies. Am I right?

3 comments:

Laura said...

Local eco-nerd weighs in...

first of all, bravo to you for thinking about that! And for not throwing up your hands at the first sign that both options are harmful, but actually thinking about the *degree* of potential harm.

That said, it's actually a bit of a toss up. CDs contain lots of other stuff besides plastic - funky metals and such - which adds to their environmental impact. A general rule of thumb, usually, is weight: the heavier something is, the more impact its manufacture has on the environment. So you're probably right about the CD.

And besides, you can always use it as a coaster or something afterwards! :-)

Also, hooray for IBM getting on the ball and realizing they want to interview you. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Forget the CD. Put a copy of your talk on the web somewhere where you can download it in Sandia in case of emergency.

Rebecca said...

Actually, because I am so paralyzed with fear about not having my presentation, I had already planned to do that. I plan to put in two different places on the web, in case of machine failure! ;)