2022 Speaker Biographies
Adam Cohen
Senior Research Manager, UC Berkeley's Transportation Sustainability Research Center
Adam Cohen is a nationally and internationally recognized research expert in innovative and emerging transportation technologies, has completed more than 35 research projects on advanced air mobility (AAM), urban air mobility (UAM), mobility on demand, mobility as a service, shared mobility, and automated vehicles. He has over 17 years of experience as a researcher with the Transportation Sustainability Research Center at the University of California, Berkeley, and 13 years of experience as a researcher with the Mineta Transportation Institute of San Jose State University. Previously, Adam worked for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Information Technology and Telecommunications Laboratory (ITTL) at the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI).
Speaking in Session: New Entrants and Technology
Andrew (Andy) Christian
Aerospace Technologist, NASA Langley Research Center
Andrew Christian is a researcher in aircraft psychoacoustics at the Structural Acoustics Branch of NASA Langley Research Center. He has a BS in Applied Mathematics from NJIT and subsequent experience as an audio engineer which prepared him to get his MS in Acoustics from Penn State. He had been working at NASA for the better part of a decade where he conducts research on human response to the noise of airplanes, helicopters, drones, and other concepts. His writings typically include pontification on psychoacoustics, signal processing, and statistics.
Speaking in Session: New Entrants and Technology
Ayodele Faiyetole
EarthSpace and the Federal University of Technology Akure
Ayodele Adekunle Faiyetole is a recipient of the Todd B. Hawley Space Visionary Award. He is a multidisciplinary researcher who holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Physics, an MSS degree in interdisciplinary Space Studies, and a Ph.D. with a dissertation on space applications and climate policies. His research interests include aviation noise and health, aircraft accidents, outer space dev, transportation emissions, and climate change. Ayodele is an alumnus of the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, and Singularity University, CA, USA. A pan-Africanist, Faiyetole currently lectures on sustainable transportation at the Federal University of Technology Akure in Nigeria. His publications have appeared in reputable journals, published by Elsevier, Springer Nature, Taylor & Francis, SAGE, Emerald, IGI-Global, and Oxford University Press. Faiyetole is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Institute of Transportation Engineers. www.theearthspace.com.
Speaking in Session: Health Effects of Noise – From Local to National; Three Perspectives on Research, Legislation, and Implementation
Beth White
Senior Strategist for Public and Industry Engagement, Federal Aviation Administration
Beth White is currently Senior Strategist for Industry and Public Engagement for the FAA Air Traffic Organization. She is responsible for the coordination of a matrixed team that is developing standards for engagement efforts with aviation stakeholders as well as communication efforts with local communities.
Prior to her move to the Air Traffic Organization White was the Senior Advisor of Communications for the FAA. She was responsible for the creation, development and implementation of a strategic communications campaign to educate and promote the modernization of the national airspace system. The initiative – known as NextGen – is a $42 billion dollar investment in aviation infrastructure.
Speaking in Session: How Airports Can Work with Their Communities on Noise Abatement Procedures
Brad Pierce
Executive Board: PRESIDENT, N.O.I.S.E.
Brad Pierce is the President of the National Organization to Insure a Sound-controlled Environment (N.O.I.S.E.) He also services as the Chair of the Centennial Airport Community Noise Roundtable in Colorado. Brad has served as the Environmental Representative to the NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC) since 2014. Mr. Pierce served on the Aurora, Colorado City Council from 2003 to 2017 and has been an effective advocate on community noise impacts in all of his roles.
Speaking in Session: Health Effects of Noise – From Local to National; Three Perspectives on Research, Legislation, and Implementation
Brien Seeley
President, Sustainable Aviation Foundation, Inc.
Brien A. Seeley is President of the Sustainable Aviation Foundation and is a founder of the electric aircraft movement. He authored and chaired the 2011 NASA Green Flight Challenge sponsored by Google, aviation's largest ever technology prize. He is a senior member of AIAA and author/researcher of several AIAA papers regarding urban air mobility at scale and aircraft noise reduction. His 45 years in aviation include: earning his pilot's license in 2 weeks, founding the CAFE Foundation and CAFE 400 flight competitions, supervising detailed flight testing of the most prevalent homebuilt aircraft for EAA, scratch-building his own electric car, building and flying homebuilt aircraft and developing ultra-quiet propulsion.
Speaking in Session: Aviation Emissions: Reduction Efforts and Current Research
Byron Thurber
Associate Principal, Arup
Byron Thurber is an Associate Principal at Arup, leading the Aviation sector in Arup’s San Francisco / Oakland offices. Originally from Maine, he earned an architecture degree from UC Berkeley and is a California licensed architect. After beginning his career in commercial architecture, he transitioned to aviation planning in 2001. He has focused both on passenger terminal and airfield-airspace project types, in the US and internationally, including work at SFO, Oakland, San Jose, Portland, Seattle, San Diego, Las Vegas, Boston, JFK, Raleigh-Durham, Gatwick, Istanbul, Mexico City, Melbourne, and Auckland. His recent projects include major terminal redevelopments at Portland (PDX) and SFO, the master plan for the new Western Sydney Airport, and the Urban Air Mobility Policy Framework for the Los Angeles Department of Transportation. His interest in AAM and vertiport design was sparked working on the vertiport prototype design competitions for Uber Elevate in 2018 and 2019, and he is currently an active participant in the NASA AAM Ecosystem Working Groups and Community Air Mobility Initiative (CAMI).
Speaking in Session: New Entrants and Technology
Cindy Christiansen
Cofounder, Aviation-Impacted Communities Alliance
Cindy L. Christiansen is a founding member of Aviation-Impacted Communities Alliance (AICA) and BOS Fair Skies. She previously served as a member of the Massport and the Logan Community Advisory Committees. Christiansen co-authored the Technical Response for Congressional Quiet Skies Caucus Staffers Re: FAA’s Report to Congress: DNL Metric and DNL 65 Standard For Airplane Noise, June 2020. Professionally, she is faculty at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, is a health policy researcher with a PhD in statistics, and teaches statistics to graduate students. Christiansen has twenty-five years of experience on dozens of multidisciplinary health care, health policy, and medical studies at Boston University, Harvard Medical School, and Health Services Research Centers of Excellence at the Veterans Affairs. Much of her research involved development and use of valid metrics and statistical prediction models. She is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association.
Speaking in Session: Noise Metrics and Impacts: Thinking Beyond DNL
Darlene Yaplee
Co-Founder, Aviation-Impacted Communities Alliance and Concerned Residents of Palo Alto
Darlene Yaplee is a founding member of the Aviation-Impacted Communities Alliance (AICA) whose mission is to protect communities from harmful levels of aviation noise and emissions through campaigns for legislation and industry change nationwide. She is also a co-founder of Concerned Residents of Palo Alto, working to mitigate the negative noise and emissions impacts of aviation in the San Francisco Bay Area/NorCal Metroplex. Darlene brings 25+ years of experience such as Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President positions at Fortune 500, high-technology companies where she worked on strategic alliances, international marketing, and new market development. She was the Chief Marketing Officer at PLOS, a nonprofit Open Access Science publisher and advocacy organization where she promoted the understanding and adoption of Open Access with organizations such as Google, the Wellcome Trust, and Research Universities. Darlene was the University of California, Davis Alumni Commencement speaker and recipient of Sun Microsystems “Business Woman of the Year'' Award and YWCA “Tribute to Women” Award. She has guest lectured at Stanford Graduate School of Business and Santa Clara University.
Speaking in Session: What is “Meaningful” Community Engagement?
David (Dave) Stallwitz
Managing Director, Emerging Energy, Phillip 66
David Stallwitz is Managing Director, Emerging Energy for Phillips 66, a diversified energy manufacturing and logistics company. He is working on several renewable energy initiatives focusing on renewable fuels, including Rodeo Renewed, a project to convert the Rodeo refinery into one of the world’s largest renewable fuels plants.
He began his career with Phillips 66 in 1995 as a specification engineer in the company’s Chemicals group and has held numerous positions in the Operations, Specialty Chemicals, Commercial, and Midstream business groups. He attended the University of Kansas for both undergraduate and graduate where he received his BSME and MBA. He currently resides in Houston, TX.
Speaking in Session: Climate Change and Aviation – Pathways to NetZero
Eric Pilsk
Kaplan Kirsch
For more than 20 years, Eric Pilsk has represented clients in disputes involving public entities, with a particular emphasis on litigating airport, transit, and land use issues. Eric handles cases involving federal aviation laws, FAA grant obligations, federal preemption, the ICC Termination Act, the National Trails System Act, NEPA, the APA, Native American trust claims, and a wide range of issues regarding land use and constitutional law at the state and federal levels. He has acted as lead trial counsel in trials in state and federal courts and administrative agencies, including contested evidentiary hearings before the FAA in FAR Part 16 proceedings.
Eric’s appellate experience includes drafting numerous briefs to state and federal Courts of Appeals and the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as arguing cases in federal Courts of Appeals. In addition to litigation, Eric counsels clients on a range of regulatory and pre-litigation issues, including FAA AIP grant compliance matters, airport expansion projects, and rail corridor access issues.
Speaking in Session: How Airports Can Work with Their Communities on Noise Abatement Procedures
Geoff Morrison
Cadmus Group
Dr. Geoff Morrison is a Principal at Cadmus and leads the Sustainable Transportation Practice. He specializes in developing decarbonization roadmaps for airports, local and state governments, and electric utilities. Dr. Morrison was a researcher at the U.S. Department of Energy, working on hydrogen and electric vehicles. He has a Ph.D. in Transportation from UC Davis in 2014 and a B.S. in Geology from Duke University. Previously, he was a Nuclear Engineering Officer in the U.S. Navy.
Speaking in Session: Aviation Emissions: Reduction Efforts and Current Research
Gregor Veble Mikic
Flight Physics Lead, Joby Aviation
Gregor Veble Mikić obtained his Ph.D. in physics from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia. After a post-doctoral stint at the Universita degli Studi d`Insubria, Como, Italy, he then became Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Nova Gorica, Slovenia, later becoming Associate Professor. In parallel, he took on the role of Head of Research at Pipistrel d.o.o. Ajdovscina, Slovenia. He led the design of the Panthera general aviation aircraft, and was responsible for the aerodynamics and performance of the Taurus G4, the aircraft that won the NASA Green Flight Challenge sponsored by Google competition in 2011. In 2015 he joined Joby Aviation as Chief Aerodynamicist and Head of Flight Physics. He received the AIAA 2016 Piper General Aviation Award for outstanding contributions leading to the advancement of general aviation. With Joby, Gregor has published several patents related to design, acoustics, and systems for eVTOL and other aircraft.
Keynote Speaker
Ian Jopson
Head of Environmental and Community Affairs, NATS
Ian has more than twenty five years’ experience in the sphere of environmental aviation issues in Europe and beyond, working for the UK Civil Aviation Authority and an independent consultancy. He is currently Head of Sustainable Operation at NATS, which provides air traffic services to 2.2 million flights a year and to the 15 biggest airports in the UK. Ian was part of the environmental research team in the Single European Sky ATM Research programme, SESAR. He is a member of the Council of the UK Sustainable Aviation coalition focused on cleaner quieter smarter flying and a member of the Royal Aeronautical Society's Greener by Design Steering Group. Ian advises the UK state member of ICAO's Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection and works with ICAO's Operations environmental working group.
Speaking in Session: Climate Change and Aviation – Pathways to NetZero
Jane Hupe
Deputy Director, ICAO, Air Transport Bureau
Ms. Jane Hupe is the Deputy Director responsible for the Environment programme at International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and serves as the Secretary of the ICAO Council’s Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP). Ms. Hupe has a vital role in providing leadership for ICAO’s efforts to define and promote policies and Standards for environmentally sustainable aviation, managing a portfolio that includes aircraft noise, local air quality, global climate, clean energy and sustainable aviation fuels, adaptation, circular economy and a global market-based measure for international aviation. She currently leads the Organizations efforts on green innovation and the assessment of options for long term goals for CO2 emissions reduction. Under her leadership, ICAO is prioritizing the work on the feasibility of a long-term global aspirational goal (LTAG) for international aviation. This work is a critical part of supporting the ICAO Council’s efforts to lead the sector towards a sustainable future.
Ms. Hupe was at the forefront of the conceptualization and development of the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), which was agreed in 2016 as the first global market-based mechanism for any industry sector. She ensures that “CORSIA is on track” by leading its implementation strategy, including putting in place the necessary regulatory frameworks and tools whilst ensuring that “no country is left behind” by implementing ACT-CORSIA (Assistance, Capacity Building and Training for CORSIA).
Prior to 1998, Ms. Hupe worked as a consultant with ICAO’s Technical Cooperation Bureau and for 15 years with the Brazilian Civil Aviation Authorities.
Speaking in Session: Climate Change and Aviation – Pathways to NetZero
John Trendowski
Principal Engineer, C&S Companies
John Trendowski is a Senior Principal at C&S and is a national leader in the field of airport air quality. He has over 30 years experience working for airport, airline, industrial, and municipal clients as well as coordinates the successful completion of projects related to air quality, energy, and sustainability. John specializes in emission mitigation projects and maximizing funding opportunities for our clients.
He has worked for over 30 large, medium, small and GA airports across the country and serves the current Principal Investigation for the development of Version 2.0 of the Airport Construction Emission Inventory Tool, often referred to as ACEIT.
Finally, John is the current Co-Chair of the Air Quality Working Group of ACI-NA, former Air Quality Issues leader for the AAAE and the Air & Waste Management Board.
Speaking in Session: Aviation Emissions: Reduction Efforts and Current Research
Juan J. Alonso
Professor, Stanford University, Department of Aeronautics & Astronautics
Juan J. Alonso is the Vance D. and Arlene C. Coffman Professor and the founder and director of the Stanford University Aerospace Design Laboratory (ADL) where he specializes in the development of high-fidelity computational design methodologies to enable the creation of realizable and efficient aerospace systems. Dr. Alonso received his PhD and M.A. from Princeton University in Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering and his B.S. from MIT in Aeronautics & Astronautics. Prof. Alonso’s research involves a large number of different manned and unmanned applications including transonic, supersonic, and hypersonic aircraft, helicopters, turbomachinery, and launch and re-entry vehicles. He is the author of over 250 technical publications on the topics of computational aircraft and spacecraft design, high-fidelity physics simulations, multi-disciplinary optimization, fundamental numerical methods, and high-performance parallel computing. Prof. Alonso is keenly interested in the development of an advanced curriculum for the training of future engineers and scientists and has participated actively in course-development activities in both the Aeronautics & Astronautics Department (particularly in the development of coursework for aircraft design, sustainable aviation, and UAS design and operation) and for the Institute for Computational and Mathematical Engineering (ICME) at Stanford University. He is or has been a member of the NASA Advisory Council, the FAA Management Advisory Council, the FAA Office of Environment & Energy REDAC, the FAA Drone Advisory Committee, and the Secretary of Transportation's Future of Aviation Advisory Council.
Speaking in Session: Noise Metrics and Impacts: Thinking Beyond DNL
Justin Biassou
Community Engagement Officer & Regional Ombudsman – Northwest Mountain & Alaskan Regions, FAA
Justin began flight training at the age of 12, received his private pilot’s license at 17, and currently holds a multi-engine instrument rating with over 600 flight hours. He graduated from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Aviation Sciences and Management and is currently completing a Master's in International Relations at Harvard University. As Chairman of the Stillwater Oklahoma Regional Airport Authority, he led the initiative to recruit American Airlines to provide daily service to and from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. In Washington D.C., he managed the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association Air Safety Institute's outreach. He later joined the D.C. policy think tank, Brookings Institution, serving as an associate director. Justin joined the FAA in 2019 as the Community Engagement Officer located in Des Moines, Washington for the Alaskan and Northwest Mountain Regions. Justin serves on the board of the Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals.
Speaking in Session: What is “Meaningful” Community Engagement?
Katherine (Katie) Hamer
Senior Analyst, U.S. Government Accountability Office
Katie Hamer is a Senior Analyst with the U.S. Government Accountability Office Physical Infrastructure team, with 15 years of experience auditing federal programs related to aviation, surface transportation, federal facilities, and postal issues. She acted as the analyst-in-charge of GAO’s recent work on FAA noise impact analysis and community engagement related to the implementation of performance-based navigation (PBN).
Speaking in Session: Noise Metrics and Impacts: Thinking Beyond DNL
Lynae Craig
Manager, Air Traffic & Airfield Operations, Alaska Airlines
Lynae Craig is the Manager, Air Traffic and Airfield Operations at Alaska Airlines. With over twenty-five years of airport and airline experience, she is recognized for her focus on safety, collaboration, and problem-solving. Lynae’s background also includes managing airport noise abatement programs and Performance Based Navigation implementation, balancing NAS efficiency needs with community environmental concerns. In her current role, she works closely with Airports and ATC facilities to ensure safety, efficiency and access across Alaska Airlines‘ network and is a frequent participant on SRM panels related to airfield construction, flight procedures and operational changes. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Studies from the University of North Dakota and is a commercial-instrument rated pilot.
Speaking in Session: How Airports Can Work with Their Communities on Noise Abatement Procedures
Martin Röösli
Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH)
https://publons.com/researcher/1361403/martin-roosli/
Speaking in Session: Health Effects of Noise – From Local to National; Three Perspectives on Research, Legislation, and Implementation
Michele Ross
Assistant Manager, Community Relations, Metropolitan Airports Commission
Michele Ross is the Assistant Manager for Community Relations at the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC). Mrs. Ross serves as a technical advisor to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) Noise Oversight Committee (NOC) and works collaboratively with communities and stakeholders to address airport noise concerns.
Mrs. Ross has been with the MAC since 2019 and has over twenty years of experience in environmental review, environmental public health, and community outreach and engagement. She is a certified Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional (AP) and a certified member (CM) of the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE).
Speaking in Session: What is “Meaningful” Community Engagement?
Neil Dickson
Chief of Environmental Standards, International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)
Neil Dickson Chief, Environmental Standards, ICAO Neil Dickson is the Chief of the Environmental Standards Section of ICAO, which develops ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) related to Environmental Protection, conducts quantitative studies and assessment of environmental benefits, and provides guidance on aircraft noise and emissions. Neil is an Aeronautical Engineer and previously worked on civil and military aircraft performance projects, including civil aircraft technology assessments, studies into aircraft NOx reduction and on the development of the ICAO aircraft CO2 Standard. Neil also has a Ph.D in Atmospheric Chemistry from the University of Cambridge, which focused on the formation of contrails and civil aviation induced cirrus clouds.
Speaking in Session: Climate Change and Aviation – Pathways to NetZero
Rachel Burbidge
Senior Environmental Policy Officer, EUROCONTROL
Rachel Burbidge joined EUROCONTROL in 2005. She has been leading EUROCONTROL’s work on climate change adaptation and resilience since 2009, authoring the organisation’s ground-breaking Challenges of Growth work on Climate Adaptation, and several peer-reviewed journal articles. She leads EUROCONTROL’s contribution to the ICAO CAEP Working Group on CORSIA, where she manages tasks on MRV, and is also a member of the ICAO CAEP Working Groups on Airports and Operations, where she leads the work on climate adaptation. She has degrees in Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development.
Speaking in Session: Climate Change and Aviation – Pathways to NetZero
Sarah Ziomek
Enterprise Sustainability Program Manager, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
Sarah Ziomek is the Enterprise Sustainability Project Manager at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport responsible for developing and advancing sustainability projects, implementing DFW’s Net-Zero by 2030 Roadmap, overseeing the environmental grants program, and supporting the integration of green building standards. Sarah received a B.S. and M.S. in Environmental Science from Texas Christian University. She is a Certified Ecologist and has served in the capacity of environmental scientist and wetland specialist. Her previous experience includes environmental consulting for multiple industries as well as work for the Botanical Research Institute of Texas and the National Park Service. In her free time, Sarah enjoys spending time outdoors playing tennis, cycling, and backpacking.
Speaking in Session: Climate Change and Aviation – Pathways to NetZero
Sean Doyle
Senior Aviation Noise Specialist, FAA
Sean Doyle is a Senior Aviation Noise Specialist in the FAA Office of Environment and Energy (AEE) – Noise Division. Sean joined FAA in 2016 and serves as an agency expert on aircraft noise policy and research, brining nearly 10 years of airport consulting experience where he provided technical expertise for a wide array of airport and airspace related environmental projects. Sean is an expert in aircraft noise modeling and works closely with multiple lines of business within the FAA to coordinate on research, policy and outreach activities.
Sean holds BS degrees in both Physics and Astronomy from the University of Washington and is a graduate of the American University, Key Executive Leadership Certificate Program. Additionally, Sean holds a single engine private pilot certificate.
Speaking in Session: Health Effects of Noise – From Local to National; Three Perspectives on Research, Legislation, and Implementation
Sjohnna Knack
Program Manager, Planning & Environmental Affairs, San Diego International Airport
Sjohnna Knack is the Program Manager with the Planning & Environmental Affairs Department at the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority. She oversees all aspects of aircraft noise related to the San Diego International Airport aircraft operations. Ms. Knack is responsible for oversight of one of the largest remaining airport sound attenuation programs, the Quieter Home and Quieter Non-Residential Programs. She provides technical support for the Airport Noise Advisory Committee and Curfew Violation Review Panel. She ensures adherence to many regulatory requirements including State of California Title 21 requirements. She manages a team of staff who conduct analysis with the Airport’s noise and operations monitoring system. Ms. Knack works closely with industry stakeholders including the FAA, air carrier operators, elected officials and other interested community members.
Ms. Knack has a bachelor’s degree in Aviation Management from St. Cloud State University. She is currently the Noise Working Group Chair for ACI-NA’s Environmental Committee.
Speaking in Session: How Airports Can Work with Their Communities on Noise Abatement Procedures
Stephen Smith
Director, Ricondo & Associates, Inc.
I am a Director with Ricondo & Associates, Inc., and am a certified Project Management Professional who has nearly 27 years of experience conducting and managing environmental impact analyses and planning projects for a wide variety of airport and air traffic assignments. I currently serve as Project Manager for the San Diego International Airport Traffic Procedure Evaluation project to support the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority in addressing community recommendations and inquiries related to published flight procedures and managed the flight procedure alternative analysis for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 150 Update for San Diego International Airport. I also served as the contracted Aviation Environmental Program Manager for the FAA’s nationwide Metroplex program for nearly six years as well as other major FAA airspace redesign efforts such as the Chicago Terminal Airspace Project and New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia National Airspace Redesign project.
Speaking in Session: How Airports Can Work with Their Communities on Noise Abatement Procedures
Yolanka Wulff
Executive Director, Community Air Mobility Initiative (CAMI)
Yolanka Wulff is Executive Director of CAMI, the Community Air Mobility Initiative, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to support the responsible integration of aviation into community transportation through education, communication and collaboration. Yolanka is responsible for CAMI’s programs including the development of topical resources, webinars, conferences and collaborations. This includes the Urban Air Policy Collaborative, a cohort-based curriculum for state and local agencies and airports. Prior to co-founding CAMI in 2019, she was a sustainable aviation consultant for ten years, working with industry, government, academia and nonprofits on policy, standards, industry development, market challenges, and communications. Yolanka is a nonprofit and business attorney and consultant with over two decades of experience in the successful development, implementation and management of mission-driven programs, with a focus on sustainable transportation, land use, and collaborative solutions. Yolanka is a member of the Transportation Research Board New Users of Shared Airspace Committee, the GAMA Electric Propulsion Innovation Committee, and is the organizer and convener of annual CAFE Foundation Electric Aircraft Symposium.
Speaking in Session: New Entrants and Technology