Fourth Floor lab
computers were upgraded
to faster, flat-screen
models, making it easier
for engineers wives to
check email, and chat
using AOL s Instant
Messenger.
CAEDM: The Real World
Uncensored Live is now airing
24/7 on TCI-CableVisionTM
channel 36.
Byrd s Eye View
Ryan Byrd
Sum mer n. The period between Winter and Fall semesters dreaded by engineering students.
L
ike many engineers, I feared
the arrival of summer. For
those who enjoy school
(i.e. me), summer is a chaotic,
non-academic annoyance we’d
rather fast-forward. No more
teachers, no more books... Hold-
up! I like books! (and the occasional
teacher). But my protests fell on
deaf ears summer came anyway.
First there’s the
problem of a job.
M a n y
u n d e r g r a d u a t e
engineers (UGEs) can
u n d e r s tand m y
plight: I’ve learned
more than what’s
required to push a
lawn mower, but not
quite enough to
design missiles. So I ended up
pushing lawn mowers and wishing
I was designing missiles which
meant, for me, anyway, that I didn’t
do a particularly good job on the
lawns (apologies to those affected).
I counted my blessings; after all, I
had a good job and didn’t have to
force pest control or satellite TV on
elderly widows in California,
(although if the thousands of full-
page ads run by the Daily Universe
are correct, I could have netted
$95K in just two easy weeks). Right.
S i g n
m e
u p .
Speaking of the Daily Universe,
during the summer it’s not so daily,
or even every-other-daily. In fact,
it’s replaced by a rarely appearing
paper simply entitled, the
Universe and is written entirely
by the Orem School of Boring
Writers. Jaw-dropping journalism
covered such scintillating news as
Popcorn Matters for Theaters , the
wildy popular Floating Duck
Contest , and the suspenseful
Saving Energy Saves Money
investigative report.
But at least the newspaper stuck
around, which is more than we can
say for the Smith Family Living
Center, which in the
wake of it’s demolition
left the campus as a
gigantic obstacle
course. To make
m a t t e r s
m o r e
c o n v e n i e n t
f o r
undergraduates, parts
of student parking
were annexed for
faculty vehicles. Those
spaces, of course,
remained vacant all summer long,
except for the occasional student
owned vehicle, parking ticket
fluttering in the breeze.
However, I digress... let me catch
you up on the latest engineering
n e w s :
Early this summer, CAEDM
passwords were compromised by a
embittered, former system
administrator. You’ll need to change
yours the password, not your
system administrator. The hack was
facilitated largely because the
passwords were (and are?)
apparently
stored as
p l ai n - t e x t
for obscure
s e c u r i t y
reasons.
Fourth
Floor lab
computers
were upgraded to faster, flat-screen
models, making it easier for
engineers’ wives to check email, and
chat using AOL’s Instant
Messen g e r .
Irregular power outages plunged
the Clyde Building into a dark,
sultry dungeon, testing whether,
under duress, engineers would
really leave (none did). Fortunately,
electricity was rerouted to the
vending machines, preventing the
otherwise inevitable insurrection.
The lobby got new carpet exactly
resembling the previous carpet.
Contrary to rumor, the
awkwardly fitting Department of
BYU Studies was not kicked out of
our building, at least not yet.
The ugly Third Floor
daguerreotypes of bridges have
finally been replaced by
photographs taken in our lifetimes.
No, I’m sorry, that’s a lie.
Finally, several hundred
additional surveillance cameras
were added to the CAEDM lab,
bringing the total to nearly one
thousand. ( CAEDM: The Real
World Uncensored Live is now
airing 24/7 on TCI-CableVisionTM
c h a n n e l
3 6 ) .
Now you are all up to speed on all
of the summer changes.
Fortunately, it’s Fall Semester,
playtime for those who relish school
and who may, once again, dodge
embarrassing sports and
physical games with the
excuse, I’ve got some
studying to do.
Ryan Byrd is a Senior in
Computer Engineering.
You can contact him at
ryanbyrd@byu.edu
