crankyoldman (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
crankyoldman) wrote2011-06-25 05:12 pm
crankyoldman) wrote2011-06-25 05:12 pm
Interview Thing
Hey, that thing with the questions. jerkface asked me these. You want questions, ah, I dunno show me your favorite math equation. If you don't have one, then show me one you think is neat.
1. What first inspired you to become a rocket scientist? How did you go from engineering to creating video games about engineering?
So, I was 8 years old when I decided I wanted to be a rocket scientist. It was Spring Break, my family was on a road trip (which my dad had been teasing me would be a "fish hatchery"... I really hated fish). Turns out we ended up in Huntsville, Alabama, at the NASA center there. I remembered seeing a rocket and going wow I want one of those. I already had a bit of an interest in astronomy (this is why they decided to take us there) but it was just like. I dunno. I had to know how huge ass rocket of awesome was made.
My dad said that the people that made that were aerospace engineers. So from then on, this was my goal. I remember teachers being rather surprised that I had my college major picked out in elementary school. What can I say, when I decide to do something, I guess I do it?
So this is why my current job confuses a lot of people. Because they assume rocket scientist = holy shit why are you not working for NASA? Well, about 80% of aerospace jobs are actually defense, and well, missiles. And I actually was on the defense work track; I managed to get a job at 19, which would have set me up at graduate to work for the Air Force Research Lab.
But two major things happened:
1. My ex
2. Government work became really stifling.
I actually rather liked my mentor at AFRL, he was a really hip guy, and I helped him do a lot of outreach work with local schools (my favorite thing was these little foam planes that I used to explain angle of attack to a bunch of 10 year olds). And I didn't realize at the time what an effect that had on me.
So drama happened and I managed to nearly fuck up my life and I end up at the company I am now because my life is a series of accidental opportunities (no really). It was supposed to just be an internship, and I started out just doing content research for them; they'd gotten this grant to do space games and kind of didn't have anyone that knew what the heck to do with that aside from YAY SPACE.
Now, Aerospace Engineering is kind of the most interdisciplinary of the standard engineering disciplines. A lot goes into a plane or rocket and you gotta learn at least a little of all in order to do your part the best. And well, turns out that made me incredibly qualified to handle a fairly new industry full of energy and risks and well shenanigans.
But best of all, I get to be creative. Sometimes it wears me out, not gonna lie, especially considering our management chain is not what it should be...
So I ended up here because I nearly failed at life, and have discovered things I am passionate about again (which, to be frank, I was starting to lose in school... not because of the subject matter, mostly because the industry is INCREDIBLY conservative). I've got BIG GOALS again, and kind of don't know where I'll be in five years and am ridiculously happy about that.
And technically, I still managed to work for NASA (all of our games are NASA approved, technically, and with the program this summer I work directly with their education directorate and get to talk to dudes working there!)
So tl;dr I'm here because I liked rockets when I was a kid and then decided that making weapons was a poor life choice and decided to make games instead.
2. What is your favorite non-Final Fantasy game?
It's a three-way tie between ICO, Persona 3, and Soul Reaver 2. I can't choose between them because they are such different genres. And this is likely to change! But right now, those are the ones.
3. You have just been elected Queen of the World. What is your first act as queen?
Heh, I'd take the profits from industry and use them to fund public education the way it should be funded. I'll always be of the thought that education should be free and easily accessible for everyone and the fact that it's not really so pisses me off so much you have no idea. I think that a lot of problems with society could potentially be helped by this.
4. If you could drink only one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Tea. Herbal, because of my goddamn not!ulcer, but tea. If you're thinking alcoholic, I would have to say a bloody mary. But that can be painful. :/
5. So you like tags. Which tag from your LJ/DW best sums up your life as a blogger?
"beer is awesome"
I have so many tags mostly because I ah, don't use them properly. I kind of use them as tl;dr summaries.
jerkface asked me these. You want questions, ah, I dunno show me your favorite math equation. If you don't have one, then show me one you think is neat.1. What first inspired you to become a rocket scientist? How did you go from engineering to creating video games about engineering?
So, I was 8 years old when I decided I wanted to be a rocket scientist. It was Spring Break, my family was on a road trip (which my dad had been teasing me would be a "fish hatchery"... I really hated fish). Turns out we ended up in Huntsville, Alabama, at the NASA center there. I remembered seeing a rocket and going wow I want one of those. I already had a bit of an interest in astronomy (this is why they decided to take us there) but it was just like. I dunno. I had to know how huge ass rocket of awesome was made.
My dad said that the people that made that were aerospace engineers. So from then on, this was my goal. I remember teachers being rather surprised that I had my college major picked out in elementary school. What can I say, when I decide to do something, I guess I do it?
So this is why my current job confuses a lot of people. Because they assume rocket scientist = holy shit why are you not working for NASA? Well, about 80% of aerospace jobs are actually defense, and well, missiles. And I actually was on the defense work track; I managed to get a job at 19, which would have set me up at graduate to work for the Air Force Research Lab.
But two major things happened:
1. My ex
2. Government work became really stifling.
I actually rather liked my mentor at AFRL, he was a really hip guy, and I helped him do a lot of outreach work with local schools (my favorite thing was these little foam planes that I used to explain angle of attack to a bunch of 10 year olds). And I didn't realize at the time what an effect that had on me.
So drama happened and I managed to nearly fuck up my life and I end up at the company I am now because my life is a series of accidental opportunities (no really). It was supposed to just be an internship, and I started out just doing content research for them; they'd gotten this grant to do space games and kind of didn't have anyone that knew what the heck to do with that aside from YAY SPACE.
Now, Aerospace Engineering is kind of the most interdisciplinary of the standard engineering disciplines. A lot goes into a plane or rocket and you gotta learn at least a little of all in order to do your part the best. And well, turns out that made me incredibly qualified to handle a fairly new industry full of energy and risks and well shenanigans.
But best of all, I get to be creative. Sometimes it wears me out, not gonna lie, especially considering our management chain is not what it should be...
So I ended up here because I nearly failed at life, and have discovered things I am passionate about again (which, to be frank, I was starting to lose in school... not because of the subject matter, mostly because the industry is INCREDIBLY conservative). I've got BIG GOALS again, and kind of don't know where I'll be in five years and am ridiculously happy about that.
And technically, I still managed to work for NASA (all of our games are NASA approved, technically, and with the program this summer I work directly with their education directorate and get to talk to dudes working there!)
So tl;dr I'm here because I liked rockets when I was a kid and then decided that making weapons was a poor life choice and decided to make games instead.
2. What is your favorite non-Final Fantasy game?
It's a three-way tie between ICO, Persona 3, and Soul Reaver 2. I can't choose between them because they are such different genres. And this is likely to change! But right now, those are the ones.
3. You have just been elected Queen of the World. What is your first act as queen?
Heh, I'd take the profits from industry and use them to fund public education the way it should be funded. I'll always be of the thought that education should be free and easily accessible for everyone and the fact that it's not really so pisses me off so much you have no idea. I think that a lot of problems with society could potentially be helped by this.
4. If you could drink only one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Tea. Herbal, because of my goddamn not!ulcer, but tea. If you're thinking alcoholic, I would have to say a bloody mary. But that can be painful. :/
5. So you like tags. Which tag from your LJ/DW best sums up your life as a blogger?
"beer is awesome"
I have so many tags mostly because I ah, don't use them properly. I kind of use them as tl;dr summaries.