[Oredigger] Do you consider yourself a geek?[Brendan] Comparatively at this school, not really, prior to coming here, maybe.
Why do you think that?
I supposed it was harder for me to fit. But now that I go to Mines, I am really just part of the majority here. Everyone just fits in here; I suppose that for the most part we all have about the same background. Sure, I am geek but relatively speaking, aren't we all?
How did you come to be at Mines?
After I went to Cornell and saw that they really did not know what they are doing at all with their undergrad. I kind of only applied to this school. So lucky they let me in.
But don't you have a bunch of family that has been here as well?
Yeah, my sister is currently going here. And my brother has graduated from here and is now a doctor.
What is your favorite Geeky joke?
Why did the chicken cross the Mobius strip?
Why?
To get to the same side.
Star Wars or Star Trek? And Why?
They’re both awesome. And the [new] Star Trek is pretty awesome.
Have you seen the original movies?
I have seen the first four movies, and I have seen all of the original Star Trek series. I have seen all the Star Wars movies.
What about the new clone wars cartoon movies?
I don't consider that canon.
What are your hobbies?
What isn't my hobby? I swim, I play video games, I do pretty much anything people want to do, I was on the chess team in high school, I was on the speech team, I pretty much do anything, but I tend to stay away from most sports. As far as everything else goes if it is a little bit mental I am probably into it.
What is the geekiest thing you own?
The geekiest thing I own is probably my computer. I also have a grid of just blocks for if you want to play D&D you just write on it with a white erase marker.
What has been your favorite class at Mines?
Phase Equalibria. It’s the class where they give you all the answers. You don't have to find anything, it’s all on a graph. The most you have to do is a little bit of algebra to get the answers. Other than that all the answers are given to you.
What is your favorite piece of technology?
Favorite piece of technology has to be prosthetics. They can do anything, well almost anything. Once I get into the work force, then they will do anything. Just wait until the robot rebellion.
What about the three laws from Asimov?
What laws!? [Maniacal laugh]
What is your favorite movie?
My favorite movie right now is "Zombieland" It has pretty much every single genre of a movie in there but it played itself out so well as a comedy and it has just so many one liners.
What clubs and activities are you involved in?
Let’s see if I remember them all. I am a member of SWE (Society of Women Engineers), MSEC (material science and engineering club), and I recently created the Board Game Club, I am part of the RPC club (role playing club), and also part of APO or Alpha Phi Omega which I joined this year. And I think that is about it.
Who is your role model and why?
My role model has to be my brother, because he went to this school and got really really good grades. So he's really smart so hopefully I'll be as smart as him. He is a doctor and I hope to achieve the same amount of success.
What is your favorite OS and Why?
I am really torn; I really like Gen-2 because it’s really really shiny. I also like Windows 7 because it’s really really shiny. I heard Google OS is coming out soon and I really want that one as well. So we will see how that goes as I boot three different operating systems on my computer with only 80 gigabytes of memory remaining.
What is your favorite formula and why?
It was have to be from calculus; tabular integration, because it just made everything easier you can integrate almost anything with that rule, excluding u subs, but there’s another special formula for that one.
If you were stuck on a deserted island and you could only bring three items what would they be?
I would bring a lot of wood or a polymeric equivalent so it would be resistant to rain. Maybe an axe or a cutting tool and whole bunch of rope, because just as long as that stuff is burnable you can make your own water, you have shelter and you can survive for a while.
If you could come up for a class for CSM what would it be?
It would be "Special topics in Mandelbrot and Julia set, how everything is self similar and there is theory to the chaos around you."
If you could be anyone else who would you be?
No. I could not be anyone else I am way too awesome.
One thing you love at Mines?
One thing I love at Mines is pretty much everything is pretty awesome. People are amazing to talk to and you can actually talk with your teachers, as opposed to in high school where there is this invisible barrier blocking them from talking intellectually. Here you just walk into their office and start chatting. Pretty much all I did was second semester was talk to my physics teacher and we would just talk over weird and obscure topics that had nothing to do with what we were talking about during class.
One thing you would like to see change?
The tests should be a lot easier but that will never change. I would also like to see a bioengineering degree I hear it is coming in 4 or 5 years but...
Favorite Mines experience?
I suppose my favorite Mines experience was TP’ing the third floor when I was in the dorms last year.
Can you admit to that?
Ya it was an RA sponsored event and besides they TP’ed us way worse.
Favorite Word?
Id.
What’s Id?
You have your ego and your Super ego and your id, it’s your primary emotions and its just a cool word.
What you planning to do after Mines?
Go to more school be it here or some where else, I need to get my PhD before they will let me operate on people
Operate? What do you mean?
I want to go into prosthetics.
Why prosthetics?
They're pretty cool and the current prosthetics are kind of cool but I want make them more realistic so the people can't even tell that you have them. Like with people coming back from wars missing limbs and such I want to help gain a normal part of there life back.
What is the geekiest thing you have done?
The geekiest thing I have done is run through Wal-Mart in a pac-man and ghost costume.
image: Daniel Haughey
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