Hello- quick question

I'm a student and I'm thinking about getting into compounding. Can anyone recommend any sites where I can learn about this field?

Thanks

Reply to
Mo D
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I think it's fantastic that you want to get into compounding to improve your career. Just like compounded plastics have so much more to offer than just the specialized base polymer, a student who knows a wide range of subjects and is able to compound them will have a much more rewarding career than the student who is specialized. It's very clever of you to pick up on this.

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My company also does a lot of compounding, although we don't have an informative websit like RTP.
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When Mr. McGuire pulled aside the young Dustin Hoffman in "The Graduate", the one word of advice that he gave him was "plastics". He didn't say "compounding", or "extrusion" or "injection molding" (fine, that's two words. As my brother the mathematician said, there are 3 types of mathematicians: those who can count and those who can't.) Instead, he said "plastics". The whole thing. From thermoplastics to thermosets, from LCP's to ICPs, from nanocomposites to reactive systems. Do it all. Specialization is for insects. John

Reply to
John Spevacek

Thanks for the link John. Why is it that everyone that I've talked to in plastics brings up that movie? One guy I know has that particular scene downloaded onto his PDA.

Reply to
Mo D

Thanks for the link John. Why is it that everyone that I've talked to in plastics brings up that movie? One guy I know has that particular scene downloaded onto his PDA.

Reply to
Mo D

Well I imagine that I brought it up in this particular case for different reasons than anybody else.

Nonetheless, I can speculate as to the broader reasons, although I don't claim to be Roger Ebert even if I did graduate from the same University as he did - UIUC. "The Graduate" made a big sensation upon release in that it broached a previously taboo subject - the seduction of a young man by an older woman. I think that it has become a part of popular culture because it serves as a simple symbol for this subject. People to this day can refer to the subject by joking about Misses Robinson and everybody gets it, even if they haven't seen the movie.

While few people can directly relate to the main plot of the story, far more people can relate to the opening scene, which is where the famous 1-word line occurs. The graduate, played by Dustin Hoffman (in his big screen debut) has just finished college at a prestigous school out east and has come back to California where his parents have thrown a party in his honor. None of his friends are there, just his parent's friends. One of them pulls Dustin aside out by the pool and tries to give him some helpful advice about what to do with his as-of-yet-decided career. Dustin is pretty turned off by the party, where he is being put on display by his parents. To get the advice "Plastics" is a further insult, in that "plastic" can be used as an derisive comment, to indicate shallowness and a false facade, something that is very obvious to and surrounds the uncorrupted Hoffman. The scene is good enough that it can stand on it's own, or could have been put into another movie and still had an impact, but for it to be in "The Graduate" really helped insure its immortality. I think the scene also rings true in that we've all had some guy that was pretty loaded leaning towards us to give us some unasked-for advice, with a heavy smell of alcohol and cigarettes on his breath. (By the way, I was not drinking when I give you my advice above, and I don't smoke!)

You may or may not want to see the movie. Given the greater openness towards sexuality since the movie was released, it will no longer have the 'shock' effect that it first had. Consequently, it could end up being one of those movies that you hear so much about that you build up an anticipation for the movie that the film just cannot fulfil. I found that to be the case with "Citizen Kane", widely regarded as the greatest movie ever, something that I don't agree with. "Rebel without a Cause" also was a dissappointment (althought I loved James Dean in "Giant" and "East of Eden"). On the other hand, "Casablanca" was everything I thought it would be and more. You are looking at only the cost of a rental, althought I imagine that it is still popular on the campus film circuits, which would be cheaper yet.

John

Reply to
John Spevacek

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