Clayton McNeil

(1) When I first visited South Korea in 2008, I remember being surprised at just how similar it was in feel to America. “If it wasn’t for the different letters and everyone speaking n unfamiliar language, I might not even know I was in another country,” I recall saying half jokingly. Now fast forward to last week and the first words you would have heard me say as I stepped off a plane in Shanghai was, “Well, we’ve defiantly arrived in China.” Besides the very large PRC flag, this part of Asia had a distinct feel.

Sometimes I describe South Korea by comparing it to what the United States might look like without two hundred years of legacy infrastructure. A lot of things in Korea seem like they were first built using the most modern technologies available at the time, as opposed to going through several iterations before getting there. This contrasts considerably with China, which has more of a ‘work in progress’ atmosphere.

Of course, there was KFC, McDonald’s (many in fact), malls, tall buildings, etc. But there were also people selling fake iPods in front of a millennia old pagoda and others riding what look like pedal-powered bicycles that have been outfitted with electric motors. (From my experience in Korea, you usually just see normal bicycles and motorcycles. I’m told the electric motors are because motorcycles aren’t allowed in Shanghai because of pollution). This layer of legacy, visible underneath the modernization, is what made the country so interesting because it was so different.

Another thing I found fascinating about China was all the foreigners. Granted, most were tourist, but their numbers and diversity were much greater than what I’ve seen in Korea. Even in some of the more remote areas we visited, there were still several visitors from other countries. It was apparent that the locals were accustomed to this too. Many of the street vendors we ran into would try and entice you over to their wares in whatever they guessed your native language was. I must have heard they word ‘cheap’ three or four different ways.

Continued below in (3)…

(2) Having returned from China, I am continuing my work on putting together an introductory tutorial on the Hubo Lab’s motor controller. Unfortunately, I’ve run into a few issues. Most are related to hardware, either it not being available or getting it to work right. I’ve also realized, however, that writing motor controller code for a DSP, although not overwhelmingly difficult in theory, requires various bits of background knowledge. In order to keep the tutorial from becoming unmanageable and unfocused, I’ve decided to adopt a multi-part format with a lengthy required reading list. Hopefully, that will give the reader a good enough foundation that the tutorial can mostly concentrate on its main objective of demonstrating the motor controller code. The first couple sections of the tutorial should be available by the end of the week.

(3) My trip to China was great - not just for what I saw, but how I saw it. I was a member of a group consisting of sixteen Koreans (who speak English with varying degrees of comfort and proficiency), two Americans (including me), and a Chinese/Korean tour guide (who spoke Chinese and Korean fluently, but very little English). Not only was I exploring a culture different from my own, I was exploring it from the perspective of a culture that was also different from my own. This experience reinforced something that seems obvious when said, but something I don’t think most American’s really ponder or internalize – The United States is not the center of the world. Yes, it’s a big and important player, but there are many things happening out there that don’t include us. Furthermore, there’s a lot for us to learn from other countries and cultures and if we don’t reach out on levels beyond government and commerce, we’re likely to miss it.

(4) By far, one of the best parts of China was interacting with the guys from the Hubo Lab in a more laid back, casual setting. This trip revealed more of their individual personalities than I think any other outing. It would not be an exaggeration if I described the relationship I observed them having each other as being some resembling a large group of brothers. I can’t say I’ve seen anything like it in the labs I’ve run across at Drexel, and that’s a shame.

(1) We all know the stereotype of the Asian kid who is good at math and science, but how many times do we ask ourselves why we perceive that? Here’s a hint: it has less to do with Asians being ‘naturally good at crunching numbers’ and a whole lot more to do with work ethic.

In my previous visit to Korea last year, an official at the US Embassy in Seoul described something called a ‘cram school’ to me. These are essentially schools after school. Students go there and study for several hours beyond the normal school day learning English, working on their math skills, etc. With the availability of technology, much of this additional learning has become available online. I didn’t give it much thought at the time, but it was brought to my attention again when I recently came across an article that discussed how some educators in South Korea are being paid six figure salaries and enjoying rock star-like status for teaching things like Algebra and Calculus over the internet.

Considering how, in America, we have teachers going on strike just to get decent middle class wages, this sounds unbelievable. The fact is though; education is valued so highly in Asian countries like South Korea that I have no doubt its possible. A perfect example is the students in the HUBO Lab. I’ve seen them there day and night, including weekends. And while I wouldn’t suggest they enjoy working all those hours, they do at least understand the importance of what they are accomplishing. There’s a seriousness about not only getting a good education, but being able to, that I’m not sure enough students in the America adopt. It might be argued that this is an institutional effect and would be expected of anyone going to a top-tier school such as KAIST and working in a prestigious place of research such as the HUBO Lab. Maybe so – but my feeling is that there is something cultural involved.

(2) I’ve been spending some time taking stock of what has been accomplished since coming to Korea and preparing it for ‘publishing’ here on the site. Among these items the various CAN projects (the PC104 driver and the LED Board), the Hubo C# Adapter and the various bits of code documentation that has been compiled. These will most likely end up in the Resources section of the site in the next week or so.

(4) After reading the article mentioned above, I started reflecting on my own experiences in the United States’ educational system. A lot of the emphasis in the US seems to be on merely obtaining a degree as opposed to what quality of professional you are once you get it. I’m not passing judgment, but I when I look around at some of my fellow class mates I can’t help but question how the American engineer of the future will compare to those of the past or even those outside the country. Having grown up in a house where it wasn’t enough just to pass, I appreciate the value of holding yourself to higher standard; however, when that higher standard is becoming the average in the rest of the world, maybe even that’s not enough.

(1) My movie going experiences in the United States are mostly limited to a handful of big chains, so the setup for the nearby Primus Theater here in Daejeon may not be as special as I think. It also may not be a Korean standard since I’ve yet to visit any other theaters. Regardless though, I think most Americans visiting will find it a slightly new experience.

The first difference is one of construction. Given how valuable land is in Korea, many things are built vertically and the Primus Theater is no exception. It’s housed in a building of at least 15 stories (probably closer to 20) with parking underground. To get into the building from the street, you take an elevator (which is like the ‘front door’ because it’s entered from the outside) to the twelfth floor. This brings you into the lobby/box office/concession stand area.

To buy a ticket, you first have to take a number like you would at a DMV or deli. This may sound silly, but it actually works quite well because you can sit rather than wait in a long line. When your number comes up above one of the cashiers, you can head over and purchase your ticket. Don’t bother going before this, because they will turn you away.

Getting the ticket is fairly straightforward. In my experience, there usually wasn’t a problem saying the movie name in English. The only part that gets a little tricky is the time and the assigned seating. Yes, that’s right, there’s assigned seating. Although it seems a bit silly, especially when there are only a few other people watching the movie, it’s really a great idea. There are small screens at the cashier that show all the seats, how they are laid out, and which ones are vacant. Not only does it reward individuals for showing up early, it allows groups of people to figure out a way to sit together without having to disrupt those already comfortably seated. After you get your ticket, you take the escalator to whatever floor your movie is showing. While it does say which this is on the ticket, it can be hard to find since the writing is in Korean. If you listen carefully, they usually tell you though.
From what I can tell, there are four theaters for every two floors and they will only take your ticket to enter ten to fifteen minutes before the show starts, so you have to wait in small seating area or in the lobby (which isn’t a real issue since seating is assigned). Once inside, things are pretty much similar to any US theater. English movies are show in English with Korean subtitles which is really nice. It also felt like there were less previews.

Again, I can’t speak for the majority of movie theaters in Korea, but this one was nice. I never bought anything from the concession stand, but I saw that they sold popcorn, soda, squid(!), etc. The prices seemed reasonable (much more than in the US) and they also didn’t seem to mind if you brought your own stuff in, which is great considering there are convenient stores on almost every nearby corner.

(2) For the next several weeks, I’ll be working on a series of tutorials that explain the concepts of programming on the HUBO. One of the interesting aspects of the HUBO project is that is requires programming on several layers, from the motor controllers all the way up to Application GUIs. In the past, I’ve noticed the experiences of casual programmers tend to fall into one of these layers while the others remain somewhat of a mystery. The idea of behind the tutorial series is to expose each level in a very simplified form.

(3) One of the biggest differences between the United States and South Korea (and probably most countries) is ethnic diversity. The fact that America is this ‘melting pot’ of different races and cultures is one of the common selling points for why it’s great. I’m defiantly not arguing against that fact; the blending of different ideas is indeed one of the fuels that have propelled the country. However, being in a more homogenous nation has caused me to consider its drawbacks. I don’t know much about national politics in Korea, but my observations lead me to believe that it runs a little more smoothly. It seems there is constant innovation and improvement going (and I’m talking about more than an endless road-work project).
In the United States, one of the reoccurring criticisms of government is how slow it moves. I can’t help but think some of that is due to everyone having an opinion that must be considered and having to work out compromises that make everyone happy (regardless of whether it actually solves the issue being debated). It seems reasonable that this might derive from the variety of backgrounds present. It also seems reasonable that in a country where there is more of a shared identity, such gridlock may be less frequent.

Of course, this is purely conjecture. The government of South Korea may indeed be just as sluggish its counterpart in the US. And even if it isn’t, there are other factors, such as it being smaller country and having newer infrastructure, which could be the primary drivers. I’m also certainly not advocating that the US limit how it represents its citizens. A monarchy simplifies government too, but I don’t think anyone would consider moving toward that. Rather, I just find it is interesting to consider what/how things work in other places.