College and furthering the Experience

My first taste of a college student was probably nothing more or less than anyone else’s. As most of us continuing our education beyond high school, I have come to realize it also comes with more of a work load compared to high school. The are in fact many differences between high school education and college education. When you are in college it is upon your shoulders to make sure you get everything done on time. On top of that you can not just get away with full filling the requirements of the task at hand, but that you must in fact go above and beyond. Now for me this has not been such a task as when I do anything worth doing, I do it to the best of my abilities. I believe there is no sense in going through life half assing anything worth while and rarely do I not do something above and beyond. I feel that college is really starting help open my mind to the possibilities I can create for myself rather than not continuing my education. At first I did find it rather stressful trying to get my homework done, mainly because I would try and do it all at once which in turn burned me out fast. So what I did to keep this from happening was I started to break up my tasks into day by day, and by accomplishing a more relative amount of work per day, I definitely increased my output and quality of my work. As more and more time has gone by, adding up to the days until the end of my first semester, I realize that college has began making more sense as to what is wanted from us. Now that I am more comfortable with everything I feel that I can in fact begin to enjoy my school and my peers more as a whole. From there I would like to address Oakland University. I in fact believe that Oakland University is a very underrated university and that it should get more recognition. Although I have never been to any other colleges, I do know others that went to my high school that go to other colleges, and from the work load, I definitely feel like you receive more for your money at OU. I am yet to venture out to see what kind of groups there are to interact with at my school however from clips I have seen of certain groups, I feel there is something for me to choose. In fact one group that has been brought to my attention was SIFE. This organization is about promoting students for free enterprise. This group works together to share knowledge and experiences along with leaderships skills to create a learning environment for its members to succeed in the business world. Another organization was the Formula SAE group. This group has especially grasped my attention and is now opened to not just engineering students but to business students and several other majors. I have always had a passion for cars and speed and this may be the chance to hop in the drivers seat.

Firearms

Firearms are essentially the roots of man hood. A correctly used firearm is one that is used to put food on the table. Guns were not made to kill people. Which more often then not is what they are used for. I feel that firearms are a key to the past and are turning into a key to violence of the future. If we can continue the education of the use of firearms, potentially we can reduce the misuse and harm they can cause. There are all different types of firearms. Some of the different kinds can be breaking down into pretty much several groups, groups such as rifles, shotguns, pistols, revolvers and from here can be broken down even farther. Guns can be semi-automatic, pump action, lever action, bolt action, break action, the list seemingly continues on. The most common firearm of choice around Oakland County for the ever popular whitetail season, is either the shotgun or the muzzleloader. A shotgun is normally a smooth bore gun with a short range, that can be modified to increase range for desired performance. Things you can do to increase the range of a shotgun while hunting, say whitetail, is getting a rifled barrel. However more often then not your average person will simply purchase a rifled slug. Although this is the cheaper and more popular way to get a little more distance, it is not the most effective, which lies with a rifled barrel. Muzzleloaders on the other hand somewhat resemble a shotgun, other than they do have a rifled barrel. Not to mention they are essentially one shot, and hopefully one kill. Muzzleloaders have to be manually loaded with powder, bullet, and primer in order to fire whereas all other firearms use previously assembled ammunition you can buy in bulk. Muzzleloaders have been used since the time of frontiers and have only increased technologically from then till now. The rifle as also a widely popular choice for whitetail, however it can only be used in certain areas of Michigan because of the long distances the projectile can travel. Common deer slayers are the 30-30, 30-06, .243, .223, 300 savage, 300 win magnum, the list is potentially endless it just depends on the hunters preference. Rifles can easily travel miles whereas shotguns only travels yards accurately. Because of the shotguns inaccuracy, they are more commonly used for small game, fowl hunting, or birds. But with areas becoming more and more populated it is essential the range is kept down. Pistols on the other hand, are primarily used for target practice and protection, however there are several hand guns out there that can be used for big and small game hunting. Pistols are used quite frequently in short range, speed shooting, competitions. This is a game in which the competitors go through a series of areas of targets, in which speed and accuracy is the name of the game. This is much like the competitions and training that police officers go through in order to get qualified. Firearms are an everlasting topic to be discussed in many different ways, its just a matter of the question at hand.

Chainsaws: Stihl ms441 vs. Hsuqvarna 372 (72cc saws)

There has always been a rivalry between the two top chainsaw manufactures, Stihl and Husqvarna. Everyone seems to have there own personal preference and it tends to go either way. However I have been doing a comparison between the two saws and obtained some information on both saws falling in the 72cc stock saw class. Let me start off by saying that Stihl has been a trusted saw of choice since 1926 when the first felling machine was created. The Stihl ms441 is a saw of its own. This saw has 70.7cc of displacement (or 4.3 cubic inches) and engine power of 5.5 bar horsepower. The dry weight of this machine is only 14.6 pounds, a fairly light saw for its class. The ms441 can hold up to 24.5 fluid ounces of gas and up to 12.2 fluid ounces of bar oil. One of the best features of this saw is that advanced engine technology allowing 10-20% lower fuel consumption and reduced emissions allowing for more power. Standard features of this saw include advanced anti-vibration system, high torque level over high rpm range, and a pre-separation air filter assembly. Stihl incorporated it’s side action chain tensioner and the toolless oil caps and retainers which makes for convenience out in the woods. The Stihl ms441 has countless five-star ratings and satisfy nearly every bigger task at hand. To top it off the low vibration of the saw allows for comfort and the ability to run the saw all day. On the other hand, Husqvarna offers the 372xp in the same class. This saw actually has 74.7cc which is a full 4cc difference between its competitor from stihl, the ms441. However, it only manages to crank out a total of 5.4 bar horsepower, which is a full tenth of the horsepower of the 441. I find this rather outrageous that a saw with more displacement cannot but out more horsepower. Now, the Husqvarna also contains it’s own low vibration system but it is up to the operators to determine which one seems to have the least amount. One great feature about the 372xp is it’s air injection system, which prevents chippings and dust from clogging up the air filter. I must say that this is one thing that the Stihl brand seems to lack as a demonstration video on Youtube.com shows. The Husqvarna 372xp can old 1.62 pints of fuel (25.95 fluid ounces) and .89pints of oil (14.24 fluid ounces). Although it has higher fuel and oil capacity, customer reviews show that this saw goes through it faster than the Stihl. This in turn causes more time filling up then cutting and as you can imagine is not good. Countless reviews later with the cutting speed in mind and the Stihl comes out on top in nearly every category. Even pricing comes out top, both including a 28” bar, the Stihl costs $819.95 whereas the Husvarna will set you back $849.95. But in the end it is always about your personal preference. My choice is Stihl and probably always will be. However I might get a Husqvarna just to give it a whirl.

Logging and Transportation

Logging has been around for as long as man kind can remember. It is key to the advancement of civilization and industrialization. The lumber industry has recently began to climb with the prices of natural gas and crude oil rising, creating a higher demand for lumber. There are many methods to go about logging an area of lumber. The first method is called clear cutting otherwise known as clear felling. This method is when an area is entirely cleared out for economic purposes. However this is the method that is known for deforestation, destroying habitats and changing the climate, causing the debates on logging. The next method is called tree-length logging. This is when the trees are de-limbed to the top where it is then “topped” and the climber descends back down the tree where he fells the tree at the stump. The “slash” or the limbs, leaves, leftovers, are left at the sight may need to be treated if wildfires is of concerned. The tree is then transported to the landing where it goes through several other steps before off to the mill or lumberyard. Next is the method of logging known as full-tree logging. Trees are felled along the roadside and are transported with limbs an all still attached. Once at the landing the tree is de-limbed, topped, and bucked. Unlike tree-length logging the “slash” is left to be dealt with at the landing. Full-tree logging allows maximum use out of each and every tree, reducing the amount of wasted wood. The last method is the Cut-to-length method. This method refers to felling, de-limbing, bucking and the sorting of the different wood at the stump. Sorting refers to separating the different types of wood such as pulpwood, saw logs, etc. From there the skidder comes and picks up the timber and transports it back to the landing were it is loaded onto trucks and hauled to the mill. This method is best applied with smaller timber and ground flat enough for equipment to run. This method is not good for steep sloped or hilly areas. The transportation of the wood depends on what is will be used for. Felled logs generally go to a sawmill to be cut into timber, a paper mill for pulp, or other uses such as fence posts etc. There are many methods of getting the wood to its transportation (truck). The first is simply by loading the truck with heavy machinery directly at the landing. Then there is the method involving the skidder to pull the logs up to the ground platform were the truck is already waiting. Lastly, when dealing with uneven terrain a skyline is used. The skyline acts about the same as a ski lift in but with logs. Cables are attached to the felled wood downhill, which are then lifted and pulled to the top where the landing site is. For places the a skyline can’t work through because of environmental concerns a heavy-lift helicopter is brought in. This is the most costly for of logging transportation. There is just so much that can be discussed about logging operations its unbelievable and with this industry climbing it can be a good source to take advantage of.

A Trip to the Track

On the weekend of May 14, 2010 I went for my first motocross experience at Ogemaw Sport and Trail center in Mid-Michigan. I went to check the track and trails out with my friend Chad and several of his friends. Our weekend revolved around this trip. Ogemaw Sport and Trail center consists of a main track, intermediate track, kids track, and 120 acres of private land filled with trails and hill climbs. On top of that OSTC has easy access to hundreds of miles of state trails. In order to ride here you must have a waiver filled out, parent signature if necessary, and seal. Along with that it is twenty dollars for your first time, anytime after that for the year is fifteen dollars. OSTC also has camping reservations if you would like to stay there. My experience consisted mainly of riding the motocross track. I have always enjoyed riding tracks and in fact have had my own full track at my house for most my life. So for me, I guess I found that the main motocross track was rather easy for someone with my experience. However the terrain was sandy and some jumps required giving the bike all it had. Even though I found the track to be easy, it was fun and well worth the money. The track contained a variety of jumps whether they were step ups, doubles, triples, ski jumps, etc., meaning there was enough there to wear a person out. It probably only took me five laps before I got arm pump to the point of having to stop. But once I was worn out on the track it was time to cool down on the trails. So we would take off a begin a journey around the trails among OSTC which seemingly were narrow and required speed and agility. We did find several nice hill climbs while explain the land. One in which Chad tried climbing was beyond 90 degrees upward, he didn’t quite make it. After that hill climb stop were proceeded around the winding trails all the way back to the intermediate track. This track consists of a combination of small table top jumps, tight sandy corners, trees, and whoops. After ripping around the trails and intermediate track we once again headed back to the main track. We probably road on and off the track for another 4 hours or so before we thought about leaving. When we finally stopped for a break, Chad decided he was going to check out the freestyle section they had set up with two metal jumps. This was quite entertaining to watch considering only Chad and one of the owners were the only ones to ride this section. Chad launched off these seventy foot doubles approximately 35 foot in the air from ground level which wore me out watching as I was already tired. One thing that was nice about the whole experience was that there wasn’t a whole lot of traffic at the track or in the trails. However, this place can get packed! One weekend included a visit from professional dirt bike rider Travis Pastrana. I would definitely recommend this power sport center to anybody that has a passion for riding.

Facebook

Facebook has become a hot commodity with people of all ages over the past couple years. So much in fact that it has over five hundred million active users. The face book press room establishes that fifty percent of the five hundred million of active users log on to face book everyday. The average user of face book has 130 friends. What I found most ridiculous while reading the statistics of face book was, people spend over 700 billion minutes on face book each month! With all this time spent on face book, I’m afraid that people are spending to much time within a building, especially my generation. My generation seems to be addicted to every new technological advance there is. I feel that face book keeps people from actually going out and meeting new people, working, and keeps people from thinking outside the box. Once a person is addicted to face book, they tend to get on every waking moment they can, merely posting every activity or thought throughout there day. But if were spending so much time on Facebook, how can you actually live your life? But with over 900 million objects that people can interact with why wouldn’t you want to be on here? The average user is connected to over 80 community pages, groups, and events. On top of that the average users creates 90 pieces of content each month with more than 30 billion pieces of content shared each month! Being able to access all of this information/applications from your mobile device, added convenience to the users hand, which may have in fact been a great factor when it comes to the expansion of the site. However there are several good things that came from face book. First of all face book opened up a world wide communication network for meeting new people. In fact, there are more than 70 translations available on the site, and about 70% of Facebook users are outside of the United States. It takes over 300,000 users to help translate the site through certain applications on Facebook. Users being able to access this information while on the move, through mobile devices, allows people to be out and about, but it definitely keeps people from noticing there surroundings. Especially if they are texting and driving, which is a big down fall. Yet there are more than 150 million active users currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices, and the crazy thing is that people who access Facebook via mobile devices, are twice as active as non-mobile users. However, Facebook has opened up new opportunities for a profit margin in advertisement simply because of its popularity. The best part of advertisement is that it generally creates more demand in turn creating more jobs. With the United States in tough economic times, especially Michigan, these jobs will be greatly appreciated. In fact there are more than 200 mobile operators in 60 countries working to deploy and promote Facebook mobile products. Think about it, that’s 200 more people employed, and all though that’s throughout 60 countries it is also just for its mobile products. There is advertisement for nearly every industry around the world on Facebook. I guess what it all boils down to, is that it’s the users choice to decide when exactly is to much time spent on Facebook.

A Place Called "Up North"

There is a place that people call, "Up North." This place is filled with, what seems to be, everlasting amount of wilderness, animals, and water. A place of relaxation. Up North is a term that many michiganders use referring to the upper half of michigan. Up North is a place that can be described so many ways. A place that many advid outdoorsman go to fill the tags. My idea of that place is located in Black Lake, Michigan. Here I can wake up in the morning knowing I don't have to work. But at the same time, I enjoy getting up there and mowing the lawn, getting the boat fired up for her first time, the jet ski's tuned in ready to go, and splitting wood for the night time bonfires. It's always good to get everything important out of the way for the real fun. I mean come on, wilderness, open roads, huge spand of water. You could start your day off with a good morning fishing expedition. With a lake of a variety of fish species to choose from you could never get bored. My particular choice right now, Pike. Ever since my second year up there, just drifting along in the pontoon with current. I got one pole set up in the water dragging and another one in my hand casting and realing. Probably should pick one you think? Well about that time, the pole that was dragging, snaps down. Fish on! The fight was the best i had so far up there, and I knew it was a good one. I was just realing and pulling, but the fish wasn't giving up. I tried telling my dad I had a fish, he just nodded and said, "no way, you probably just got some sea weed." Well I told him he better check this out. About the time he turned around the fish was to the boat. It was my first big pike! It weighed out at 7.5 pounds and was thirty-two inches long. What next, well if that doesn't excite you, then listen to this. So I head back to the cabin, considering it's only around 2:00 p.m., to figure out what next. I dont even have to get off the boat before I now what I'm going to do. I meen sitting on a pontoon, roasting in the sun, you just have to get on the jet skis. So that exactly what I did. Hopped on, pushed the start button, and away I went. There is not to much to compare to a hot summer day, skimming across the water, with mists of water spraying all over to cool you down. If you fall off, then that is just all the better. After you are wore out from throwing the machine around you can head back to camp. It's about dinner time at this point. So you refuel yourself with a good old fashioned cook out or maybe just whatever sounds good. Anything to get you moving again. There is still time for a walk through the woods and maybe end then night with some friends around the bonfire talking. Everyone has a place like this. Up North is a place I love.