How you set out is the main thing here, because the journey is the destination. The sailor Max loves slowing down on the water, Swenja enjoys the speed of her car. And university lecturer Max Ruppert uses threats for journalistic flights of fancy.
On the road with Nonsuch
What do law students do in their free time? Sailing. 24-year-old Max Lassner takes the sport out of the “pseudo-elitist corner” with his blog nonsuchsailing.com.
When he was about six years old, his passion for halyards and sheets began to burn in him. Max grew up on the North Sea coast and is now studying law in Hamburg - so the water is very close. “The sport requires a lot of time and technical skill,” says the student. While other students are saving for a fancy car, Max has fulfilled his dream of owning his own sailing boat with his “Nonsuch”. Last year we went on a Baltic Sea tour lasting several months with the refurbished sailboat. “Shortly before my state exam, I decided that I would rather go sailing again. I got to know countless places and people, was able to clear my head and experienced a lot,” says Max.
He spent six months on the road, taking on challenges such as storms, fog and Russian port officials. He started the blog to give friends and interested readers an insight into his sailing trip. After the project, the main question now is why a student likes sailing. Max knows many good reasons. “Anyone who has once anchored in a Danish bay with friends and grilled on the beach, or steered a sailing boat with the stereo turned up and waves high, won’t forget it in a hurry,” sums up the Hamburg resident. It is not yet clear when he will experience such an adventure again alongside university and his job. What is clear to Max: “Life at sea captivates me so much that I am constantly looking for the next opportunity.”
Racing car from the university workshop
This year, the “Association of German Engineers” (VDI) is accompanying the Ignition Racing Team from Osnabrück University to the highlight of the season, the Formula Student Germany 2015 at the Hockenheimring (July 28th - August 2nd, 2015). The international design competition for students has been held under the auspices of the VDI since 2006. The team with the optimal mix of design, racing performance, financial planning and sales arguments wins the “race”.
In the blog, the team around Swenja Heuer (25) will report on their preparations in video diaries, reports and status reports.
And the 52 racing girls and boys are on fire. At the university information day, in the short presentation before the start of a lecture or the show ride in the parking lot behind the shared apartment - the Ignition Racing Team is visible in many places. Swenja heard about the project during her training as an automotive mechatronics engineer and when the studies started, it was clear to her: I had to become part of the Formula team! In her third year, the automotive technology student is now the first board member and is in charge of the overall team management. Her passion for racing has been burning since childhood. Swenja's parents drove skill tournaments in their own car when the student was seven years old. She drove international kart races until 2009, and in 2010 she was accepted into a junior team to compete in the VLN endurance series. Racing dominates Swenja's life: “I almost only use my apartment to sleep and when it comes to exams. I spend the rest of the day in the workshop,” she says. Here the team members can put the theoretical knowledge from their curricula into practice. The experiences from their projects are useful for homework, internships and required credits are paid for in the workshop. “The time here in the team is very formative because you get to know a lot of colleagues and a lot of good friendships are built over time,” says Swenja. This sense of community will accompany the team all the way to the Hockenheimring. Swenja's big goal is to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans - a path that she will definitely pursue.
Full threat
The use of drones or copters brings new possibilities in journalistic reporting. Elke Thimm, editor and lecturer for editing and image design, Fabian Werba, pilot and broadcast technician, and Max Ruppert, academic employee at the Stuttgart Media University, launched the blog Volledrohnung.de. Here they show application-oriented examples of copter flights and their areas of application.
How did you come up with the idea of blogging about drones?
Max: The trigger for me was a scary encounter with an octocopter that suddenly hovered in front of my balcony on the fifth floor. Since then I have been fascinated by the technology of flying systems. The idea arose to deal with the topic comprehensively in a blog. Since I knew that Fabian and Elke were setting up a production company for aerial photography using copter technology, it was a great fit.
What role do copters play in your life?
The copters are playing an increasingly central role in my life. I'm getting better at learning to fly them, which is a very fun element of the technology. At the University of Media I am trying to set up an interdisciplinary “Copter Communication Camp” where we build copters ourselves and want to optimize them for media use.
What future do you predict for drones?
Amazon's vision of flying parcel deliverers is still light years away. Autonomous flying, i.e. without a pilot in sight, is not legally possible at all. But in the film and TV sector, copters will certainly continue their triumph, as an alternative to expensive helicopter missions and for intermediate and close distances that no other technology can achieve. I would like to see an animal film about giraffes that is made with copters at eye level. That would be a completely new visual impression into the world and the perspective of these huge animals.
How you set out is the main thing here, because the journey is the destination. The sailor Max loves slowing down on the water, Swenja enjoys the speed of her car. And university lecturer Max Ruppert uses threats for journalistic flights of fancy.
