Classes are over... Practicum doom is starting!

I just recently realized that for the next two months, I will never return to the classrooms for anything except exams. Classes are over. Why isn't there an exclamation point after that sentence? Hmmm. What's wrong with me? I should be in a festive mood. Perhaps it's because I feel that I am going to have a hell of a schoolyear ahead. And the warning came just last Friday, during a reserch presentation.

So five groups presented their IT projects: (1) a software to create a movable 3D image of covalent bonding of molecules based on the user's formula; (2) one-player computer game version of the "Game of the Generals" with a "simple" artificial intelligence as opponent (which I'm not really impressed by); (3) a system, named ADZU SMS, that sends students their midterm and final grades to the privacy of their personal cellphones and away from the embarassment of friends, family, etc.; (4) text-to-voice software: cellphone program to vocally dictate text messages to the recipient when he needs it, for example, while driving; and (5) Chi-Ki-Cha mobile game that can be played by two to four players using their cellphones through bluetooth.

Some of the groups were attacked with intimidating questions, leaving some of them stuttering their replies, which eventually led to the practicum moderator defending the projects herself. But if I were the researchers, I'd be hostile in answering their questions. Like there was this one guy who mocked the text-to-voice software as "low-quality" because the voice was robotic, and added that there are "current" cellphone technology that offer better-quality voices. But actually, he was talking about voice messages, and sending them are expensive. Like duh! This country is eternally under economic crisis. Sending a text message is much much cheaper, and the phone itself converts it to voice. If I was one of the group members, I will come up to the mic and say, "Before I answer your questions, stupid BITCH, why don't you return to your doghouse and suck your eight tits while you listen to my replies?" That would have felt so good. But of course I'm gonna do that only in my fantasies!

You see! I'm nervous because we're next! What if our project at the end of the schoolyear would not be successful? At least now we are pressured to come up with something as excellent as possible. But what project? The practicum moderator has actually approached me and suggested a project about determining the type of a cut wood. Her father was able to catch illegal loggers and used cut wood as evidence. The type of wood needs to be determined for the case. However, it was difficult to verify the wood type since the bark and other characteristics of the wood were cut off. The only way to verify the type is to burn the wood because the smoke can tell the wood type. However, the evidence would have to be consumed in flames. Therefore, a software may eliminate the need to burn the wood by capturing and creating a 3D image of the wood and determining its type by the intricacies of its physical form. I currently have no idea how to create such software. I can say that it is similar with the technology that validates thumbprints, but I also have no knowledge of it. Therefore I have to study new concepts, from the uniqueness of each type of wood to 3D imaging.

This project is environmental, and thus a benefit. But I somehow feel that it lacks something in the sense of achievement. Perhaps I think that it is too limited to the environmental sector. But protecting the environment protects everyone, I guess. But if I accept this, I might feel that this is something imposed on me and on whoever my groupmates would be. But (this is the third consecutive 'but') I cannot think of any other project. Game? Too common. Database? Too boring. Software? Too broad. No time to narrow down further. ::sigh::

Decisions, decisions, decisions...