A Moment of Excitement

So this was really cool.  I don’t have any other good adjectives right now so be content with that and let’s move into the crux of the issue.

After 3 full weeks I had begun to wonder about the technology involved in shoes that PUMA makes.  When you read footwear catalogues, particularly in soccer, a pastime I frequented much in my high school days, there are always these little blurbs next to each shoe, “made with power frame technology for more powerful shots!” etc. etc.  So after being here a bit I began wondering who is responsible for those tidbits of selling power.  I’ve seen most of the process and haven’t seen a whole lot of science.  It’s just kinda whateva looks right.  That actually works too.  Why?  because adidas and Nike research and make shoes and so we know what a good shoe looks like, so why actually research?  Well, to be ahead.  PUMA has always, in recent history, been ahead in style but behind in technology.  I hadn’t really noticed that before, but now looking back, I suppose I new it all along and as it became more apparent I decided to just enjoy the aesthetic design side of things, which has been going well I must say.  But anyways, that’s not the direction this story is going.  Let me introduce you to another intern who got here two months before me.  Mechanical engineer from Canada.  Let’s call her Kate for privacy’s sake.  Kate went through basically the same thing I did, except not having much design interest, and loving biomechanics, hunted down the two people that do technology, and said, “I want to make a shoe that is biomechanically advanced!”  They thought to themselves shortly, discussed with some important people and decided it wasn’t a bad idea after all!

While all that went down I was taking finals, going to weddings, packing, and all manor of things that needed to be done.  Now that I’m here and poking my head around I ran into this project, still in it’s infancy, and after getting a few more go-aheads from my department, will hopefully be involved in developing some really awesome stuff.  It’s kinda hard to explain without being too specific but here is why this is so cool.

For quite some time I’ve wanted to be the guy who was the link between the design and the engineering.  I arrive at PUMA, and it turns out that that is exactly what they are in desperate need of.  The technology and design people don’t really know anything about each other or how to integrate their work together into masterful shoes.  The work I expect to begin doing would basically include bridging that gap myself, along with Kate.  Now I’m hoping that the work we do, which is starting as just a sort of side project because we asked, would turn into something so valuable to the company that they decide to make this gap bridger thing a full time gig, and of course that they are so enthralled in my work that they beg me to take the spot.  This would be so terrific, and so awesome, that I suddenly find myself terrified.  I know that if this doesn’t happen that there are certainly other good alternatives, but I don’t know what they are right now so they might as well not exist as far as my excitement and terror are concerned.  This seems like a once in a lifetime chance to make something awesome happen that could have such a lasting impact on the next 50 odd years, and it’s suddenly upon me.  Time to make the most of it.  I don’t want to look back and regret how I blew a marvelous chance.  So here goes, say a prayer for me.  I’m diving in.

Hope that makes sense.

Yes.

That's all for now.

I need to think more about how this affects my life and what my priorities are, but what you just read is the immediate flood of thoughts responding to the issue.  More on this throughout the year.