Know Your CEan – Skipper

CEans,
From developing cross assemblers for Intel & Motorola microprocessor families to BioChemistry - he's an engineer with a difference. Meet Skipper a.k.a Derek. An electronic/chemical electronic engineer by career line, Derek joined CE on 4 of June 2009 and since then has had his own air around him in CE 😀. Though he is not much into sections of Chit chat , you might have found his mind boggling puzzles in puzzles section and very special threads of Exact sequence question ,tough algebraic sequence of integers,Einstein and puzzles and the thread "Aerodynamic gravity meter" . The most special and simple response was a very algebraic answer to the question of 'what is music'. In simple words, he sees numbers in everything .. a unique nature not many of us posses.
Our ambassador, CEan Durga had this very simple and neat KYCean session with Skipper -
CE: Hi, Derek aka Skipper. From you back ground looks like you have quite a lot of diversified experience details right from medical to electronics to computer industry. How did it happen? were you trying out what suits you best?
- Not really, I just kind of drifted into the various jobs I had. Well after the degree it was less of a drift I guess.
CE: You have developed cross assembler for Intel and Motorola micro-processor family.Developing a cross assembler is quite a chuck of task, how did you go around planning , implementing and developing the product?
- I used what I knew about STN grammars to write a "standard" set of transitions for the assembler itself - the directives etc - then wrote different sets for a handful of chips, including the Z80 and 6502. Of course I needed a "compiler" for the STN grammars so I wrote one of those too.
CE: You have moved from Computers to Bio Chem and analytical chemistry, what triggered that drift, given the fact that both of them are two different streams ?
- Not quite, I studied Biochem and Analytical Chem, I had lab experience already. But I seemed to be destined for a role in the computer industry. I think this is largely because the country I live in doesn't have many innovators; I could have been happy with a lab-type of job but it didn't happen.
CE:Any specify real time examples of applications of BioChem and analytical chem? Where can one find maximum utilization of benefits learning and entering these forte? there are quite few chemical engineers who would be helped with your response 😀.
- Sorry, I only studied these subjects and never got the chance to use them much.
CE:Where do you think you will be using the knowledge what you are gaining? There are many students who learn without a clue on how to practically use the information?
- I'm just reviewing the stuff I do know and trying to match up some stuff I'm not that confident with - group theory, QM, modern cosmology. This is because I know most problems these days have a computer simulation or "solution" model. If I can understand the programming I can understand the problem too.
Now one liners:
CE: what would be your reaction if you were invited for Pittcon, given that it's one of the most respected conferences?
- Not sure...
CE: Many students read for scores and grades, what your take in this?
- Scores and grades are important because they let you know about your level of knowledge.
CE: what do you think needs a change in CE system?
- I'd say nothing. It will come together - I can't say that doing this or that will make a difference; such things are very unpredictable so best left to the "natural processes". I was personally just content to have somewhere to disseminate some ideas - and I was hoping some math-minded engineer types would point out the obvious blunders.
Discuss this interview with fellow CEans in following thread:#-Link-Snipped-#r.