Poly Wants a Plastic (An Interview with Jackie Goudelock)

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In this modern day and age, man-made plastics are emerging in more and more unexpected places. Plastic is one of the most versatile materials that can be manufactured. Plastics can be malleable, brittle, durable, heat resistant, spring-like, and they have many other useful qualities. One company that manufactures a wide variety of plastic films is Berry Plastics. It is impressive how much thought and communication with the clientele occurs in creating plastic films. The clients of Berry Plastics are often very involved in the feedback loop with the engineers working on the products. 

Plastics are in almost everything. There is not really an odd product in plastics because almost anything can be made of plastic or have plastic in it. Product lines are often commonplace and used in everyday life such as plastic bags, the film of a camera, diaper backsheet films, and Tupperware containers. 

The clients of Berry Plastics come with a product in mind or often even a product that they want redesigned. Various constraints, parameters, and regulations must be met depending on the product. As of late, many companies are looking to save face and save money by making their products greener and less wasteful.

A common practice comes when companies aim to down-gauge their plastic film products. This means that the company is trying to reduce the amount of plastic material in the product. This can be done by redesigning the packaging or the product itself to be need less plastic to function properly or hold its form. Another option is to use Post Consumer Recycle (PCR) plastics which allows the company to make environmental claims, perhaps for advertising purposes. Lastly, some request experiment runs to evaluate compostable and degradable materials as well as the new renewable source polymers; however, these types of materials are still very expensive and not generally used at this time, but there is an interest in them among the clients of Berry Plastics.

The design and production of polymers is the process that the films are made by at Berry Plastics. Chemical engineers are the general workforce behind the design and production of those polymers. One such engineer is the subject of my interview, Jacqueline Goudelock. 

Jackie and her husband Joel Goudelock

She works for Berry Plastics as a product development engineer. She attended University of Toledo for her degree in Chemical engineering which she uses to inform her in her work. She also went to The Ohio State University for further advancement in her studies. She comes from a family history of engineers and is married to an engineer. Both her father and grandfather were engineers who worked in plastics. Jackie, as she is colloquially called, says she was influenced by this early exposure to the "biz" in her final career choice.  When in college, she specialized specifically in polymer engineering.

In her work, she works in polymer extrusion and specifically cast and blown plastic films. Polymer extrusion is done to create a large amount of a consistent profile from raw plastic material. Her most common customers deal with personal care and the packaging business. The most common products she works on are diaper backsheet films and the packaging of those diapers. She works with the sales and production personal at her own company. Outside her company, she works with Original Equipment Manufacturers (the people who make the raw materials), Berry Plastics' customers, and occasionally the paper and non-woven industries. 

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She must meet certain regulations for products depending on their use. For example, personal care items generally must be FDA approved for skin contact. Another example is that film products that go into containers for food require FDA approved materials for food contact. Finally, the raw materials used in the films must meet the customer's safety needs.

The most rewarding thing and the most difficult thing in her work is translating a customer's need into a product characteristic. Solving that problem is the most interesting and dynamic part of her job. Customers always have new demands or issues that she and her company have to meet. Often a customer will have a processing issue or an end product improvement in mind and it is a large part of her job to figure out how and what she can build into a new product to resolve the issue or to enhance the product as requested. She does this by designing experiments on Berry Plastics' pilot equipment aiming to meet those requirements. The variety and challenge of the projects she works on keeps it interesting to her.

Mostly, she works from her home office, but she does travel domestically and to plants. She goes to Berry Plastics' plants to, "run trials on the films, host customers, or roll out new products." In her previous positions in her field she had traveled to Brazil, Argentina, and Peru for work but in her current job, she does not travel outside of the United States. "The plastic industry is big in Texas." Many of Berry Plastics' suppliers have manufacturing locations in the Houston area.

The achievement that most stands in her career was when she got her Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. Six Sigma is a program that many companies employ and have workshops on for process improvement. For her project, she, "solved a printing issue that her company had struggled with for years."

The problem was a print stability problem with a registered print film. This means that a graphic was to be printed on the film for the final product. The issue was that the graphic was printed on a film around an area that is very weak and soft. Due to this weakness, the film is often wound and under tension which causes the film to creep under the constant stresses. Due to this problem, one roll would end and when the client switched to the next one and the lengths suddenly are longer and the equipment cannot adjust for it. A quick but wasteful solution was to cut off the top inch or two from each roll for the equipment to be able to run them. She designed the formulation to one with better creep properties and also optimized the wind profile on the printing press to solve the issue.

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The product in question was a diaper that a customer wanted to print an image on. It is amazing how something so seemingly simple can be incredibly complicated and troublesome. Something often taken for granted is just how many things in the world are really the manifestation of some person's idea that has gone through testing and development to become what it is today. Especially in a city, where there is hardly anything truly natural; everything is a design or an idea come to life. Even a park's trees were laid out according to some design or description.

There are still new things to be done, and all things can always be improved. There is no such thing as a perfect design and if there were, people would find some way to break it. In the polymer industry, new ideas are emerging that are useful. "The development in the past few years of elastomeric materials can be used in films." Elastomerics are polymers that behave like rubber; they are malleable and can be deformed easily. These new ways and ideas are emerging everywhere and the world needs people to make them useful. Discoveries are only as useful as the applications they provide. Problems are always waiting to be solved and the world will never be short on them. Engineers are problem solvers at heart. Jacqueline Goudelock is a true problem solver. Someday, I hope to be one as well.

Nikola Tesla, Brilliant and Bizarre

They say that there is a thin line between brilliance and madness, and such was definitely the case for Nikola Tesla. Even his most famous discovery, that of alternating current, was a scientific idea that was looked down upon as impossible and as 'just speculation', such as cold fusion is today (which is basically nuclear fusion at room temperature). Merely attempting to solve that problem was in itself very insane, or at least so thought everyone but Tesla. Most people these days know that he was brilliant and eccentric. Even those who know he was an odd one probably do not know truly how bizarre and interesting a character he was.

Nikola Tesla had many quirks. He had a fear of germs. Every photo taken of him had to be taken in a precise manner as to show off his good side. He also hated round objects. When women wore pearls, he would refuse to speak to them, and if his secretary dared to do so, then he would send her straight home (PBS). Despite the day off of work, it must have been quite confusing for her. In addition, Tesla also felt romantic love for some pigeons, loved the dark, was obsessed with the number three, and he suffered from vivid hallucinations of both auditory and visual. No woman is said to have ever been with him. A famous asexual and celibate, Tesla once said, "I do not think you can name many great inventions that have been made by married men" (Strange Brains and Geniuses). Tesla never gave women the chance to look past his faults, as he was too busy being Tesla.

All those quirks, fears, and mental problems did not stop him from being an amazing inventor. He would not be stopped by them. He was still a brilliant scientist, and as far as scientists go, one expects them to be methodical: slowly but surely advancing towards their goal. This, as you may have guessed, was not the case with Tesla. Large amounts of his work were conducted all in his head. He could imagine in three dimensions and simulate experiments in his head rather than conducting them in the lab (PBS). Because of this, Tesla had few prototypes, and few notes describing his inventions. Many were just up in his crazy, brilliant mind. Many of his inventions died with him because of this. Some of those inventions lost were more interesting than others.

Death Beam

Just before his death, he completed his, as the press called it, “death beam” which was said to be effective at 200 miles and able to vaporize steel. Naturally, the government confiscated his papers after his death, it was World War 2 at the time, and then investigated them. However, nothing turned up about death rays or anything else that was new to them, so the papers were returned to his family and the Tesla Museum. There was likely no death ray after all; Tesla was known to say things to pique people's interests that were not entirely true (FBI). Tesla seemed to be fond of messing with people for his own entertainment.

The Earthquake Incident

On that subject, the infamous incident where Tesla caused an earthquake in New York City is mostly unfounded. Tesla had no such violent machine which could cause an earthquake from his lab in Manhattan, but worry not, as he did almost make Mark Twain muddy his trousers. Tesla and he had met through a gentleman's club and Mark Twain was known for having digestive problems. Likely knowing this, Tesla called Twain to help him out with an experiment of his by standing on a particular platform. The platform was on an oscillator which did shake and quake, but not the streets of New York. It did those things to Twain's bowels. Twain, not even lasting two minutes, ran off to the bathroom in response to the sudden movements (PBS).

The Current War

Tesla and Edison, as many know, were rivals of electricity. Tesla believed that alternating current was superior to Edison's direct current. Direct current had limitations but Edison was in too deep to stop pushing now, or so it seemed was his mentality. Edison was a bit of a loon about proving that alternating current was dangerous; he even electrocuted stray animals like dogs and cats (Damn Interesting). He spread propaganda about his rival's current and did so with little restraint. Not exactly a gentleman's duel. It was even said that both men did not earn any Nobel Prizes because of their petty rivalry. Neither man wanted to get one should the other man be honored first (10 Scientists Robbed of a Nobel Prize)

Edison and Tesla had a history before this as well. When Tesla came to America from Serbia with only four cents and a letter of recommendation, he was hired by Edison. Tesla was told that if he improved on Edison's machines, then he would be rewarded with $50,000. Edison never paid him even though the improvements were made, saying that he had been joking (Nikola Tesla). $50,000 was an enormous amount back then, so Edison was not just giving Tesla the short end of the stick. Despite their history and rivalry, the two were not at each others' throats. In fact, they respected one another as scientists, as evidenced by Tesla getting a crowd to applaud for Edison upon noticing him in the audience and Edison giving Tesla temporary use of one of his labs when Tesla's was not usable (PBS).

In the end of The Current War, alternating current won out and direct current drifted back from the spotlight. To this day, we use the alternating current that Tesla pushed with his business partner. Without it we would not be able to have electricity so widely distributed across our country and even the world. Tesla's largest impact was one that reaches nearly every corner of the globe. A truly impressive feat, regardless of his quirks and oddities.

Conclusion

Nikola Tesla had more than his fair share of problems in his life. His life was wrought with mental abnormalities and strange behavior. Despite all of this Tesla went on to be one of the most remembered and celebrated inventors of his time, even all time. His life story proves that one does not need to work all the time to be successful, there is room for play. He also shows that an oddity, or perhaps a dozen, does not need to prevent one from accomplishing one's goals. Tesla proves that there is a thin line between brilliance and madness, but that it can be walked and it can produce results.

How My Life Has Improved With Music

Music is probably the broadest art form. At least, it has certainly been around for long time. Who can say if cavemen hit sticks together or if they scratched the walls with crude drawings first? Either way, both of them are pretty easy to come up with.


Music is vast. There are only so many colors to paint with, but infinite soundscapes to create. Although visually there is much more than colors. I digress, but music is a very emotionally evocative thing. And the entertainment industry knows it. Chances are, the people who cry at the movies do so because of the soundtrack backing the emotional scene. Although not uncommon, it is certainly less likely, that the same people would cry simply reading the scene or the chapter it is based on.


Music has more benefits than just expression. A strong link has been established between playing a musical instrument and intelligence at a young age. This has been studied time and time again and believed to be true by most experts. But that is just icing on the cake. Even if it were not beneficial to the connection the left and right hemispheres of the brain it would be worth exploring. Music is a terrific way to express, communicate, and experiment.


Words can be misconstrued or misunderstood, the same scene can appear different from another vantage point, but music is a very consistent thing. Almost anyone can tell if a song is sad or one to dance to; it does not need to set itself up with plot and narrative. That simplicity gives it strength. Its ability to communicate, not through words representative of emotions but through sounds strongly connected to those emotions, is one that transcends language. A slow French song is slow to an American. There is probably not a soul that can hear normally who would say "Adagio for String" by Samuel Barber is not a tragic piece. Music, at its core, is a way to communicate, to interpret, and to create.

My personal experience with music has been a love and hate relationship. I hated it then, I love it now, yet I still hate what it is to many people. When I was young, my sister would blare her music through her stereo, and through the wall between our rooms. I was not terribly fond of her choice in music, and honestly, I still am not today (sorry Katie). She was fond of harsh rap music which my elementary-and-before ears could not appreciate the lyrical feats of. My mother listened to folksy music with women who sang in an elaborate fashion that was not appealing to me. My father listened to sports radio, and when he did not, he listened to whatever was on the most popular stations around the city. I grew up knowing few songs that I enjoyed.


Most of music was not worth listening to, I thought. With that mentality, but my parents unaware of it, I was enrolled in piano lessons. Dread would be the word for my feelings on those lessons. The teacher was kind enough, but the music was oh-so-boring and, oh, how I did not pick it up easily. The only solace I found was in a little midi program on the computer students did exercises on. The simple program allowed you to place notes of different lengths in sequence of your choice. I, and a few other students, would individually mess around and make midi songs, saving them if we liked them; I'm sure that some of the songs were just the pieces that the others were learning, but some were original, probably. I listened to them all and I made the most midi files of anyone. I had this idea that we were all in this little secret club and checking out each others' files, but no doubt, it was just me doing so and everyone else was just using a tool set out for their musical instruction.


But that alone wasn't enough to keep me there. Eventually, I weaseled my way out of lessons entirely before I went into middle school. I had gone on and on about getting the songs I made off her computer before I quit, and I think she did give me them but I never opened them off the disc and have since lost it throughout the years. So then came middle school, the time where music was something heard and not played, let alone written, by me.  But I grew to know my own tastes better.


In high school, I began playing again. There were some modern pieces that I enjoyed so much I wanted to play them, and I had learned to read music in elementary school, so why not do so? It was frustratingly hard to learn a simple piece or two. Once I learned one however, I enjoyed playing it, and some people enjoyed hearing it.


I no longer had a program to play with, only a piano, but I did play with it all the same. New bizarre harmonies and chord progressions came forth from my hands and I enjoyed making those strange pieces thoroughly (though I will not leave you with one, thank me later). They were fun, but I was having trouble writing them down and figuring out the technicalities of the music I had made. I wanted to write them down in case I forgot a part of them. Only knowing how to read music was not enough to record it on paper or electronically in a midi.


So I took a class was offered at my high school called IB Music. Basically, it was a music theory, history, and appreciation class that spanned two years. There I learned of all sorts of jargon that would be meaningless to most: the mixolydian mode, free counterpoint and stretto, among others. It had become too technical and we began listening to street performers from Latin America and expected to comment intellectually on it, so I lost some of my interest in it. I only took the first year because an engineering class conflicted with it, regretfully.


That pretty much leads up to now. I have a knowledge of music that allows me to record what I make and interpret what I hear and see. I can learn by ear and by common notation. I still write piano pieces but they are less erratic. Music is something I find comfort in. It can be something fun or something expressive for me. It is an enjoyable hobby whether in the form of listening or playing music.


I strongly encourage anyone to try and take up music or music theory/appreciation. In my bias, I recommend the piano highly. However, I have been the child who was all but forced into lessons, and it was not good for my musical interest. Music should be pursued of one's own initiative rather than started by well meaning parents. Whether listening or playing, it is good to have some knowledge of music. It isn't necessary to know the date composed or any trivia-like knowledge about the composer to truly appreciate the music. Creating and learning about music is the best way to understand what is already out there. Many music teachers and students forget this, and that is why independent initiative is so important. Always remember, there's a reason it's called playing the instrument.

Alcoholism's Effects on Children

Alcoholism has become a very well known word. It is defined as an addiction to alcohol or the mental illness and uncontrolled behavior which is caused by that addiction. As of late, alcoholism has slipped off in popularity, but the problem still remains. Whether alcoholism is a disease or not is still unsettled in the public. Although it is officially recognized as a disorder on the National Institute of Health's (NIH) sub-website The National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). So alcoholism is a disorder, officially, and that disorder has many negative effects on those around the alcoholic, especially the alcoholic's children.


The most obvious and damaging effects are on the children. Alcoholism in pregnant mothers is a serious issue which causes side effects and complications in the fetus and is known as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, very real problems are caused for the baby because the mother drank during pregnancy. But this post will be more concerned with more subtle influence on the family, influence of a social nature, or influence which causes other family members to become alcoholics. 


Family's most basic relationship is that of genetic information. In recent years, the phrase 'alcoholism gene' may have reared its head. Although it seems that genetics can predispose a person to drink more or to not enjoy drinking more, there is definitely no set gene which causes alcoholism. This means that alcoholism arises from different genetic sources. Of course, one's family is largely responsible for one's own genes, but since there is no individual alcohol gene, from whence does it rear its ugly head?


Dr. Robert J. Ackerman, in his paper Alcoholism and the Family, describes a vast variety of influences on children with alcoholism and the family, "whether or not a parent is recovering from alcoholism or still drinking... sex of the child and sex of the alcoholic parent... age of the child ... race... ordinal position ... socio-economic factors of the family ... and offsetting factors which can be either people or institutions that have had a positive impact on the children." So the factors are very diverse and complicated.


Alcoholics have many different reasons and excuses to drink but the effects are often all too similar. Children of alcoholics are affected academically by their parent's or parents' alcoholism. Children become delinquents, lose self confidence, and don't learn how to deal with stress in positive ways. An alcoholic's child will often blame themselves for the alcoholism. Forcing the blame onto themselves is unhealthy but it is a natural reaction to parental behavior, just as children of divorce often believe they are responsible. Children of alcoholics are also four times more likely to become alcoholics themselves. Again, part of that likelihood stems from genetics, but also behavior by influence is a large factors. 


The social relationship families have is important, especially to children. Children use their parents as role models unconsciously, especially at a young age. When beginning a new feat that the child has never done before, such as swinging a baseball bat, they will imitate it how they have seen a parent doing the same action. This can lead to children believing that alcohol abuse is just how to deal with stress.


Children of alcoholics are a common problem in schools. A list of warning signs from the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry on how to spot a child of an alcoholic is as follows: 

• Failure in school; truancy
• Lack of friends; withdrawal from classmates
• Delinquent behavior, such as stealing or violence
• Frequent physical complaints, such as headaches or stomachaches
• Abuse of drugs or alcohol; or
• Aggression towards other children
• Risk taking behaviors
• Depression or suicidal thoughts or behavior

With such a wide variety of reactions, it is hard to pin down a description of a child affected by alcoholism. The main reason being alcoholism is such a general term. Alcoholics themselves can be withdrawn, drinking in solitude. They can be abusive, physically, emotionally, or even sexually. They can be predictable, drinking in patterns, or they can be entirely sporadic and chaotic in their drinking.


A complicated and broad problem has complicated and broad effects. So much so, that it is actually difficult to determine the effects. Are problem children difficult because of alcoholism in the family? Are family members of the problem child alcoholics because the child is difficult? Or is it a cycle? It is a chicken-and-the-egg situation. Ultimately, the parent should break the cycle, as the older, more mature member. The parents are the ones who have the power to stop, the children cannot stop their parents' alcoholism.


I have personally dealt with alcoholism in my own family, and from more than one family member. And I have seen multiple types of alcoholic behavior and I have seen abuse result from it. This has definitely influenced me to be wary of alcohol and to make sure I never slip that far down the slope. There are many who choose to avoid alcohol entirely because of alcoholism in the family, but I will not take it that far. If I did that, it would still have power over me, in a way, so I choose to treat it in a normal fashion, but be cautious of myself. After all, because it is in my nuclear family, chances are I could very well become or be an alcoholic.


Although alcoholism has fallen out of popular eye, it is still a very serious social problem. According to the NIH, 18 million Americans have the disorder, about 5.73% of Americans. And every one of those 18 million has a family who is harmed by their alcoholism. Parents blame themselves for their children's drinking and children blame themselves for their parents'. It is a problem that doesn't have a cure, only a way to manage it. There is no drug which lowers all alcoholic's urge to drink, although attempts have been made towards one. It is difficult to come at a problem when the only solution is to get someone who is dependent on something to stop using that very thing. Groups like Alcoholics Anonymous have worked well for many people, just providing support and guidance. 


It is important to keep problems in public attention even if they aren't easily solved. When problems first appear everyone hears of them, but they become 'old news' quickly and disappear from the public eye. Alcoholism is still around, still in about 1 in 17 Americans, and it still affects their families too.

A Review of Klipsch S4 Reference in-ear Headphones

Klipsch S4 Reference Headphones and Friends

The Klipsch S4 Reference headphones are in-ear headphones of higher quality than most. The headphones are compatible with standard 3.5mm audio jacks of mp3 players and computers. As opposed to cheaper buds which, like standard apple ear buds, just rest against the ear, these buds are meant to be inserted into the ear. 

 

 The product description on amazon is as follows:

• Superior noise-isolating design
• Patented oval ear tips for unbeatable comfort
• Delivers smooth sound with enhanced bass
• Durable home theater style cables with built-in strain relief
• Available in a sleek black with signature Reference copper accents 

The S4 Reference went for about $100 before it was discontinued, but I found them for about half that much in the amazon link above. Cheaper ear buds, maxing out at about $20, are my usual domain. However, I do know good audio quality from my high quality headsets and headphones used for gaming and music at my desk. 

Running, walking, mowing lawns, and other activities all are done while wearing headphones and listening to music. These activities tend to wear the cheap ones out quickly, and that little $20 every four-six months can add up. If a more expensive pair could perform better and last longer, then why not give that product a try?

Audio Quality

The headphones deliver in the audio department. The highs and lows sound clear without any noticeable sacrifice between the two. The bass boost is of decent quality and moves drums into a more active roll in most music. Considerable improvement in all facets over cheap headphones and standard apple ear buds. The noise-isolation is effective, although the headphones sometimes have to set themselves in place and so isolation may not be effective just after putting them in. I've had to look out for cars more when walking because they can be difficult to hear coming.

Alternative Ear Tip Sizes

 


















The headphones come with replacement tips if the standard-sized ones do not fit. As stated by Ricard Hsu in his review of the product "find the right ear tips for your ears. Once you do, the music is going to sound so good you wouldn't believe you only paid so much for this pair!" 

There are four tip sizes including the default one: small, medium, large, and other. The last pair is not two different sizes stacked on top of one another, the tips legitimately look that way. Most ear types should be covered by the variety, perhaps even mythical creatures'.

Complaints/Concerns

The cord of the headphones is a bit of a bother. Many other customers marked it as the major downfall of the headphones.  "Once you attempt to unwind it, you'll realize it doesn't straighten out. It remains mostly kinked and folded no matter how much unfolding, pulling and bending you do," stated John Novosad in his amazon review. 

It is true that the cord tends to return to a zig-zag state, but there are methods to keep it in a straightened fashion. A lot of people have said that heating cords will loosen them up and remove any impressed bends and folds from them (like wrapping it around a hot cup of water). My headphones are hanging from a hook in the wall with my iPhone weighing it down. This is straightening it out reasonably well and it has only been going on for a couple days.

Aside from the bends, many customers also dislike the cord noise. Cord noise occurs when you fiddle with the headphone cords and the fiddling can be heard in the ear buds. It is true that the cord has more noise carried than the average one, but so long as one does not massage the cord while listening or fiddle with it relentlessly, it should not be noticeable. I have not heard any noise from brushing against my clothes while moving or had any other uncontrollable things bring about cord noise.

Overall Assessment

• Do they have a superior noise-isolating design? The headphones isolate noise well, but sometimes it takes a bit to set in place, not really superior.

• Do they have oval tips for unbeatable comfort?  The ear tips for the headphones are comfortable and have many shapes and sizes.

• Do they deliver smooth sound with enhanced bass? Yes, since the default ear tips fit my ears well, the headphones had great sound from the start.

• Do they have durable home theater style cables with built-in strain relief? Yes, unfortunately this contributes to the cord noise and the maintaining of packaging shape, but with the result of being more durable.

• Do they have sleek black with signature Reference copper accents? Yes, they do have that color and those accents, but those are hardly features to get excited about.

The headphones meet all the requirements I have: they have good audio quality, they will last longer than cheap headphones, and they are comfortable. Noise isolation is a bonus and will really shine when mowing lawns. A good product for those looking for good quality audio with their iPhone. If one is willing to put up with a little work to get the cord straight or a little time for it to straighten itself out, then this a great product for its price.