Ask Not What Optimus Can Do For You...

A lot of people (at least 2 or 3 in the last year) ask me why I chose the url "voteprime.com" for my website. Since I'm lazy, rather than rewrite an explanation I'm just going to steal text from myself that I used explain the site years ago:

Voteprime is dedicated to getting Optimus Prime elected as student body president at Carnegie Mellon University. As you explore the site you probaby will not find much related to Optimus Prime, Carnegie Mellon, or student body elections. But just think of this as the dedication page of a novel, which also usually has nothing to do with the pages that follow it.

In my junior year of college, Optimus Prime - leader of the good guys in the Transformers and not actually a human being - came in a distant second in the voting for student body president. Mr. T was close behind in a tie for third. Of the estimated 5000 eligible voters on our campus, only about 400 students showed up to vote. I will admit that our student body was fairly aloof when it came to current issues. But it did not help that zero candidates campaigned, the election was not promoted, and the only place to vote was one table stuck in front of a building on campus. It was then that my friends and I decided that with a campaign Optimus Prime might just be able to win the elections. Not only would the campaign be fun for us, but it would show everyone just how absurd class elections are on the CMU campus. We'd start a revolution and open everyone's eyes.

Unfortunately, despite our big plans, we never really made an effort to get the campaign running. But I did register this URL.

So enjoy the site. But as you are reading whatever you are reading on these pages, always remember Optimus Prime and the good that he represents. Good that is buried deep inside a big pile of wrong, also known as the Carnegie Mellon University student body elections.

However, saying that we "never really made an effort" is not totally true. Last night I uncovered 2 posters created for the campaign done by voter Jon Sung. They are, as one might say, classic:
"If you were running, he'd vote for you!"
"Can your candidate beat up Megatron?"

Update: I have found the original elections results published in our school newspaper proclaiming Optimus Prime as the official runner-up of the Student Body Elections. Forgotten in history is that he actually made a stronger showing in the Treasury race. Seems robots will never quite be able to kick that "good with money" stereotype.

Additionally, even though both Optimus and Mr. T received votes, neither is an Activities Fee-paying student and thus ineligible for election. I am sure The Tartan editor enjoyed including that note.

When I applied to Carnegie Mellon University I didn't know that only those in the utmost physical condition would be admitted. I should have realized this was the case after my interviewer dropped me off in the middle of the woods with nothing but a map, a compass, a full bottle of water and a Modern Math final exam, and expected me to return to campus within 3 days WITH THE EXAM COMPLETE! (they didn't even give me a pencil)

But after 4 years I knew why. Those were the most grueling 4 years of my life. If I had to take one more exam while holding my breathe underwater and blindfolded, so help me. I hated that school and every professor there. But today I look back on my time and thank the school for making me the man that I am today.

And I'm sure Aron Ralston looks back and thinks the same thing. That's right, Aron Ralston, the man who cut off his own arm in order to escape from the mountains of Utah alive, is a Carnegie Mellon University graduate (Mechanical Engineering '97). The training, the torture, the long nights alone with "Nurse Bertha" all paid off for Aron. In fact, the quote from Aron that probably summarizes his journey the best is CMU's motto:

I FELT PAIN, I COPED WITH IT, AND I MOVED ON.
That phrase is plastered all over the school - on every symbol, on every plaque, and on every Optimus Prime picture you can find on campus. And If I had a nickel for every time I uttered this phrase during my time at CMU I would be a rich man.
"Hey Adam, how did the final exam go?"
"I felt pain, I coped with it, and I moved on."

"So, what did she say when you asked her out?"
"Listen, I don't really want to talk about it. I felt pain, I coped with it, and I moved on."

"How was the cafeteria food?"
"I felt pain, I coped with it, and I moved on."

("My heart is in the work" also seems to be gaining some popularity)

So as people search for more information on Aron Ralston, trying to understand what could give a man such a will to live, I hope they realize that it came from the rigorous training and education that Carnegie Mellon University prides itself on.

Relatedly, CMU recently announced plans to create a Robot Hall of Fame. What they do not mention in that press release is that each year, all new robot nominees will face each other in a No-Holds-Barred Battle Royale where only the winner will be inducted into the Hall. Yes, that's exactly how it will work.

Operation Iraqi Freedom has begun. I was a bit worried for everyone's safety because you just don't know what is going to happen. Well, fears be gone - Optimus Prime is going to war. I don't think we have too much to worry about now.

Transform and roll out!