Response #5: Larry Burns

1. What are your take-aways from this video? In this video, Larry Burns, an executive at General Motors, brings to the table a new kind of car. This car doesn't run on gas, but a much more renewable source. It is a hydrogen fuel cell car that GM is producing named the Sequel. Its predecessor, Hy Wire, wasn't considered by Burns a "real car", but the Sequel is. Its shape is like a minivan and they expected to get it on the market by 2010. I had many great take-aways from this video. It taught me what the future of cars could look like. Now that the Chevy Volt is now on the market, being the first mainstream electric car available, the future of automobiles is truly coming into sight distance. Even though it is not available yet, the GM Fuel Cell car will change the way America drives and it is becoming closer due to the evolution of cars towards renewable fuel sources.
2. What are the speaker's effective speaking techniques? The speaker appeals to me because of his range of tone and good gestures. His speaking style really shows that he cares about his subject. Parts of his talk required appealing to the audience and approval and support. During those parts, his voice softened and there was more ranged. It is like when you're talking to a baby or a little kid, to make them understand more, you speak more clearly and have a more animated tone. He brings up a good point on not being able to predict the future, but creating the future. After this, he gives an opinion in a higher, more mystical tone. These examples show that he is passionate about getting a working fuel cell car on the market by 2010.
3. What is his/her presentation style? He uses many gestures and also shows a video in the middle of his talk to showcase the new concept car "Sequel". This video really helped my mental image of the fuel cell car so I don't think it looks like a spaceship or some weird-looking stereotype of a renewably fueled car. He fills the stage up by walking around. It really annoys me when speakers have a great big stage but stay in one stop almost the whole time. When he is saying a list, he taps his fingers every time he lists an item. He also cracks a couple of jokes which gives a break from the overload of information that he gives.
4. What matters from this video? How does it connect to you personally? To education? To the world? This video is important to be viewed because it gives us a hope that there are better fuel sources with cars that are compatible with this resource coming in the future. With the gas prices now skyrocketing upwards because of Middle-Eastern conflict, it is good to be reassured that there is a hope for the future. Even though his goal date for the release of a fuel cell car has passed, it is not impossible for companies to begin the research on these type of cars, which is what GM has done for 5 years. He says facts like hydrogen fuel cell cars have 1/10 less moving parts as regular gas-engine cars, and that. His plan proposed for obtaining hydrogen is however far-fetched. It involves a massive amount of spending, and even when compared to the price of the Alaska pipeline as half the cost, it is still unpromising for GM's budget and spending. I would look forward to owning a fuel cell car if it wasn't so distal, but it is coming soon. This matters to education because Burns is educating us of facts about his car and how GM can change the world. The way cars' mechanics are taught would completely change if the fuel cell car became an available product.