I apologize for the delay in posting, but I will not be doing a Musing this week. All of the good food and great company have sent my musing mind into a bit of a content stupor. Any musings are of the joys of family. You can read about those thoughts at Grandfatherswish.blogspot.com.
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
The first of two situations: How to get help
A bit of a continuation of my topic form last week, this week I've talked with a number of students looking for help. They were frustrated, disappointed, or in some other way discontent about their situation. In one case the student said that "he kept on getting the runaround" and that "nobody would help him." Two others were facing consequences from literally "not making the grade" they needed. Both of the situations are ones that many people, myself included, face in different ways throughout our lives. It was thinking about these that prompted this particular musing.
In the first situation the student didn't feel like anyone was able to help him. When I asked him what the situation was he related what a lot of students would like to know: What classes go well together to provide a balanced workload? In some ways this is similar to when students ask what classes are "easy." I used to get after students for asking for easy classes until I found myself asking my master's advisor the same questions. Most university personnel don't have an ethical problem answering this questions. It's not like we are banned from endorsing one professor or class over another. The reason why advisors say they can't answer this question is simply because it's impossible. Easy is relative. What one person finds easy another one finds hard. Anybody who has received a personal recommendation about this or that book, movie, game, restaurant, college, person to date, etc. knows that while the person recommending may have good intentions they may not know enough to provide a perfect match. Sometimes they get close and sometimes they are way off - it depends on how well they know you, how long, etc.
Many students expect advisors to know the "best" schedule of classes for them to take. However, I don't have many interactions with professors, have never (in the majority of cases) sat in on lectures or taken their class, and have no idea what the student's preferences are in teaching style. How can I recommend a class to a complete stranger when I don't know anything about the person or the class? It would be nice if I did and it's not always difficult. At my last school I did know many of the professors by sight and name and we had a small enough faculty that I heard a lot of things from students. However, I still felt very uncomfortable when students asked me for recommendations. I explained this all to the student and referred him to ratemyprofessors.com, where our university has a pretty decent following. In some ways this is the easiest way to find out about professors and classes as the reviews are done by students who have to say what class they took. I still tell students to take the reviews with a grain of salt as what someone like somebody else hates. The student then asked how he would go about meeting with an advisor. Figuring he was just looking to talk to someone else (or perhaps he thought I was just a secretary because I was manning the front desk) I asked him what kind of help he was looking for.
That question, "What kind of help do you want?" is an important one. I think that when we are looking for help it's important that we answer that question first as it will help us narrow things down. The kind of help he was looking for was basically a variation of what he asked me for - what classes should he take together. I told him who he needed to talk to for his degree and suggested a way to approach the appointment so he should get better results. What is this way, students ask. Try to ask specific questions whenever possible. The easier you make it for someone to help you the more likely they are to be able to. If you ask someone, "Can you help me?" without preamble they will probably not be able to until you tell them more.
This has run a little long, so I'll continue with the 2nd situation next week.
In the first situation the student didn't feel like anyone was able to help him. When I asked him what the situation was he related what a lot of students would like to know: What classes go well together to provide a balanced workload? In some ways this is similar to when students ask what classes are "easy." I used to get after students for asking for easy classes until I found myself asking my master's advisor the same questions. Most university personnel don't have an ethical problem answering this questions. It's not like we are banned from endorsing one professor or class over another. The reason why advisors say they can't answer this question is simply because it's impossible. Easy is relative. What one person finds easy another one finds hard. Anybody who has received a personal recommendation about this or that book, movie, game, restaurant, college, person to date, etc. knows that while the person recommending may have good intentions they may not know enough to provide a perfect match. Sometimes they get close and sometimes they are way off - it depends on how well they know you, how long, etc.
Many students expect advisors to know the "best" schedule of classes for them to take. However, I don't have many interactions with professors, have never (in the majority of cases) sat in on lectures or taken their class, and have no idea what the student's preferences are in teaching style. How can I recommend a class to a complete stranger when I don't know anything about the person or the class? It would be nice if I did and it's not always difficult. At my last school I did know many of the professors by sight and name and we had a small enough faculty that I heard a lot of things from students. However, I still felt very uncomfortable when students asked me for recommendations. I explained this all to the student and referred him to ratemyprofessors.com, where our university has a pretty decent following. In some ways this is the easiest way to find out about professors and classes as the reviews are done by students who have to say what class they took. I still tell students to take the reviews with a grain of salt as what someone like somebody else hates. The student then asked how he would go about meeting with an advisor. Figuring he was just looking to talk to someone else (or perhaps he thought I was just a secretary because I was manning the front desk) I asked him what kind of help he was looking for.
That question, "What kind of help do you want?" is an important one. I think that when we are looking for help it's important that we answer that question first as it will help us narrow things down. The kind of help he was looking for was basically a variation of what he asked me for - what classes should he take together. I told him who he needed to talk to for his degree and suggested a way to approach the appointment so he should get better results. What is this way, students ask. Try to ask specific questions whenever possible. The easier you make it for someone to help you the more likely they are to be able to. If you ask someone, "Can you help me?" without preamble they will probably not be able to until you tell them more.
This has run a little long, so I'll continue with the 2nd situation next week.
Thursday, December 12, 2013
An academic case study: Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan.
My family and I watched Monsters University last week. I enjoyed the film and it brought back a couple of memories about my own college experiences. In professional life I've worked for four different universities and colleges of varying types and have met with hundreds of students. I'm not into the thousands yet, but I'm sure I'll get there someday. I thought that Mike and Sully in the film were a lot like real students that I've met with before.
Students that have Mike's enthusiasm are some of my favorite but not because they are generally well prepared for their appointments and don't have any surprises. I take a sadistic pleasure in asking high achieving students about the one imperfect grade they have. I find it fascinating how much ire an A- grade can generate from someone who has straight As otherwise. I do this very, very rarely and only with students that I am comfortable with. I get the feeling that Mike might prove to be a bit difficult. His desire to become a scarer coupled with his lack of scariness is like when I've met with students who wanted to enter a program that required a 2.75 and had a 2.0. Those circumstances are some of the more challenging, but not impossible. I freely admit that there are many situations that students can recover from. I've even guided students who overcame a .75 GPA deficiency to qualify for the program they wanted. It takes time and effort and is done regularly. However, I also acknowledge that often the challenges require more than the person can or is willing to invest. I did like how the movie showed how Mike was able to achieve his dream in a way that was conducive to his abilities. As I think about Mike's desire to become a scarer and the position that we know he ends up in I think that he enjoys his eventual position more than he would enjoy being the scarer he wanted to be. He has an mind for analysis and he likes be in control. Really, as a scarer he is the one taking orders. Mike did a good job of refining his dream to match his abilities and his experience. Much like many students all over the country do when they have their first dream crushed or bubble popped.
Sully, Mr. James P. Sullivan, exhibits a trait that get to see in many, many different students. He has a sense of entitlement that he has to overcome. He is not just this feeling. I liked the roundness that he had and the depth of his internal conflicts. In many ways, he overcomes his entitlement fairly early in the movie and then dukes it out with his other challenges such as dishonesty, depression, self-doubt, and anger management. Many say that entitlement is a feature of the Millennial Generation, which is the one that is currently moving through college to the workplace. I've attended a least a dozen panels, workshops, or presentations where the topic was working with millennial students. Entitlement can be a big deterrent in a student's education though. I heard a student say that he intended to "talk his way through college, just like he did high school." At the end of the school year I came across a letter of probation in that student's file. Somehow I didn't think he was going to talk his way through a class whose professor presented "10 reasons why this class is not for you" as the first lecture. As I mentioned, Sully learns pretty early in the film that what he thought was a given required more effort from him than just being there. Once he got that figured out, he did a pretty decent job at learning how to succeed.
Mike and Sully were two very different students who have very different problems. Like unhappy families, students with difficulties all struggle with different things. In meeting with students for petitions or probation / suspension intervention I've never heard the same story twice. Every situation under the sun is possible. One of my favorites was when I asked a student what was his biggest academic difficulty. He replied, "I'm a great student when I'm not in jail!" To me getting thrown in jail means that you're not a good student, but what do I know. Regardless of what difficulties students have, my job (and every advisor's job) is to help students succeed. So when (not if) you start to have difficulty, don't hesitate to see an advisor. We would love to help you get through it and it is far better to meet before things go to pot than afterwards.
Students that have Mike's enthusiasm are some of my favorite but not because they are generally well prepared for their appointments and don't have any surprises. I take a sadistic pleasure in asking high achieving students about the one imperfect grade they have. I find it fascinating how much ire an A- grade can generate from someone who has straight As otherwise. I do this very, very rarely and only with students that I am comfortable with. I get the feeling that Mike might prove to be a bit difficult. His desire to become a scarer coupled with his lack of scariness is like when I've met with students who wanted to enter a program that required a 2.75 and had a 2.0. Those circumstances are some of the more challenging, but not impossible. I freely admit that there are many situations that students can recover from. I've even guided students who overcame a .75 GPA deficiency to qualify for the program they wanted. It takes time and effort and is done regularly. However, I also acknowledge that often the challenges require more than the person can or is willing to invest. I did like how the movie showed how Mike was able to achieve his dream in a way that was conducive to his abilities. As I think about Mike's desire to become a scarer and the position that we know he ends up in I think that he enjoys his eventual position more than he would enjoy being the scarer he wanted to be. He has an mind for analysis and he likes be in control. Really, as a scarer he is the one taking orders. Mike did a good job of refining his dream to match his abilities and his experience. Much like many students all over the country do when they have their first dream crushed or bubble popped.
Sully, Mr. James P. Sullivan, exhibits a trait that get to see in many, many different students. He has a sense of entitlement that he has to overcome. He is not just this feeling. I liked the roundness that he had and the depth of his internal conflicts. In many ways, he overcomes his entitlement fairly early in the movie and then dukes it out with his other challenges such as dishonesty, depression, self-doubt, and anger management. Many say that entitlement is a feature of the Millennial Generation, which is the one that is currently moving through college to the workplace. I've attended a least a dozen panels, workshops, or presentations where the topic was working with millennial students. Entitlement can be a big deterrent in a student's education though. I heard a student say that he intended to "talk his way through college, just like he did high school." At the end of the school year I came across a letter of probation in that student's file. Somehow I didn't think he was going to talk his way through a class whose professor presented "10 reasons why this class is not for you" as the first lecture. As I mentioned, Sully learns pretty early in the film that what he thought was a given required more effort from him than just being there. Once he got that figured out, he did a pretty decent job at learning how to succeed.
Mike and Sully were two very different students who have very different problems. Like unhappy families, students with difficulties all struggle with different things. In meeting with students for petitions or probation / suspension intervention I've never heard the same story twice. Every situation under the sun is possible. One of my favorites was when I asked a student what was his biggest academic difficulty. He replied, "I'm a great student when I'm not in jail!" To me getting thrown in jail means that you're not a good student, but what do I know. Regardless of what difficulties students have, my job (and every advisor's job) is to help students succeed. So when (not if) you start to have difficulty, don't hesitate to see an advisor. We would love to help you get through it and it is far better to meet before things go to pot than afterwards.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Cold
The temperature for the next week is not supposed to get over freezing (32 degrees F. / 0 degrees C.). Living in northern Utah means that you'll have weeks like this from time to time - often several times in the same month. I know it's not as cold as many other places, nor is it the coldest we can get. Peter Sinks (not far from where I went to college in Logan) holds the state record (or at least did) at -69 degrees F (-56 degrees C). It has a bit of an unusual situation that fosters that kind of temperature. I do remember being on campus when it was -40 degrees F/C (the point where the scales intersect). That day it didn't get above 0 degrees F (-17 degrees C.) You know that it's below 0 degrees F when the air in your nose freezes and pulls all of your nose hairs. If you've never experienced it you'll understand when it happens.
It's interesting that cold is measure of how little heat there is in something. A degree is a measure of heat. That's why the absolute scale (Kelvin) is considered such. Fahrenheit and Celsius are taken in reference to something. Fahrenheit has its zero point centered on a equal mixture of water, ice, and salt. Celsius uses zero as the freezing point of water. Kelvin uses the same degree size as Celsius but has zero at the point that all matter becomes inert. According to the third rule of Thermodynamics you cannot reach absolute zero. If you think about it this is simple and a bit of a no brainer. In order to measure something your instrument needs to move. If you're at absolute zero nothing is moving. A metaphor that Pratchett likes to use may be fitting. Reaching absolute zero is like trying to open a box with the crowbar that is inside of it. It just isn't going to work unless the laws of physics decide to conveniently ignore you. However, near zero temperatures are a big area of study. It's even used in quantum computers. Derek from Veritasium did a video with with Dr. Morello from the University of New Wales where they talk about one of the methods of cooling thing to near absolute zero using helium
So if we consider the absolute scale as the measure of heat that means that we cannot have negative temperatures because there is nothing less than nothing. However, there are studies that work in "negative temperature." It is not less heat that zero, but rather a different level of energy. Professor Moriarty from the University of Nottingham explains how this work, but not without a little frustration when Brady asks him to make his metaphor fit an incompatible situation.
You can get some answers to frequently asked questions about negative absolute temperatures here. In all, it's fascinating how cold we can get something and the consequences of doing so. Or should I say, how much heat we can suck out of it.
It's interesting that cold is measure of how little heat there is in something. A degree is a measure of heat. That's why the absolute scale (Kelvin) is considered such. Fahrenheit and Celsius are taken in reference to something. Fahrenheit has its zero point centered on a equal mixture of water, ice, and salt. Celsius uses zero as the freezing point of water. Kelvin uses the same degree size as Celsius but has zero at the point that all matter becomes inert. According to the third rule of Thermodynamics you cannot reach absolute zero. If you think about it this is simple and a bit of a no brainer. In order to measure something your instrument needs to move. If you're at absolute zero nothing is moving. A metaphor that Pratchett likes to use may be fitting. Reaching absolute zero is like trying to open a box with the crowbar that is inside of it. It just isn't going to work unless the laws of physics decide to conveniently ignore you. However, near zero temperatures are a big area of study. It's even used in quantum computers. Derek from Veritasium did a video with with Dr. Morello from the University of New Wales where they talk about one of the methods of cooling thing to near absolute zero using helium
So if we consider the absolute scale as the measure of heat that means that we cannot have negative temperatures because there is nothing less than nothing. However, there are studies that work in "negative temperature." It is not less heat that zero, but rather a different level of energy. Professor Moriarty from the University of Nottingham explains how this work, but not without a little frustration when Brady asks him to make his metaphor fit an incompatible situation.
You can get some answers to frequently asked questions about negative absolute temperatures here. In all, it's fascinating how cold we can get something and the consequences of doing so. Or should I say, how much heat we can suck out of it.
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Gratitude
With Thanksgiving being today I feel a need to muse on gratitude. There is plenty of stuff online about the benefits of gratitude but I would just like run a stream of consciousness about why I'm grateful. There will probably be some acknowledgements of thanks, but I just want to pants this. Free form writing can bring out things that structured prose doesn't always allow. Sometimes this is a good thing - sometimes not.
In any event, I see gratitude as an acknowledgement of that which we appreciate, often obtained through the help of others or as a gift, i.e. through means beyond our choice and control. We may ask for things but the gratitude comes form the receiving of our request be the free will of another. Most often expressed using the phrase, "Thank you."
There are a number of things that I get from being gracious. Humility is probably at the top of the list. By being grateful to others I acknowledge my own limitations. In addition, because acts deserving gratitude are given by another's free will I can be humbled by others' trust or dedication to me. This is the reason I am very grateful for my wife - because she voluntarily sticks around and hasn't killed me yet. I am grateful for my children and the way that they act and think. I've tried to teach them, even to condition them, but the choice is ultimately theirs. The fact that my children want me to give them hugs and kisses at bed time and tell me that they love me really drives me to humility as I am a very imperfect person and yet, somehow, my children feel that I am deserving of their love.
Gratitude also gives me closer relationships with friends and family. This is imply an extension of common politeness. Being around someone who is not gracious can be draining and not pleasant, particularly when you're working on something together. Ungrateful people tend to be a little more self-centered or egotistical. Sometimes people just don't feel that people need to thank them, and so following the golden rule they don't thank others. Often these people are already close friends or I've arrived at an understand with them for working purposes. However, I've found that when I'm more free with my thanks it increases the strength of my relationship with others. A sincere "thank you" can help strengthen those bonds that you consider the most important. I cannot stress what it has done to strengthen the relationship with my wife.
When I express my gratitude I find that I am generally a much happier person. My day appears a little more bright and my experiences tend to be more positive. For whatever reason this is, I enjoy the fact that with a simple and relatively small act I can increase my general well being. Also, by being active with my gratitude I see more opportunities to express it. It's amazing what you can find yourself thankful for even when you're going to difficulty.
I also feel fortunate that as a man of faith I can always thank my Heavenly Father that is God for those things that I have that have come to me by chance, circumstance, or even my own efforts. I believe that anyone can achieve great achievements through diligent work and focus and I believe that those opportunities are given to us by God. It was He that brought us to live upon this earth and established our history and abilities. I believe that He has given us the agency to choose our paths and that he is a fair and just God who loves us like I love my own children. Just as I provide opportunities for my children to attend school, play, and learn it is up to them to actually do so and to make the most of their experience. I am proud of every achievement my children accomplish and if they don't thank me for providing the opportunity because they are too busy making the most of it, I can understand that. Still it's very nice when they let me know how much they appreciate the opportunity. I feel that our gratitude to God is the same. There may be things that we receive directly from him - my son surviving being born 27 weeks early with minimal difficulty was a miracle of both medical and divine power. I thank God for my son every time I see him. I also thank God for the opportunity to meet my wife and have children. I still had to do the looking, the courting, and the wedding, but I am still thankful to God that the opportunity was there.
I am very thankful for my life which was initiated by a loving God, influenced by family and friends, and enhanced by the wonderful opportunities that I've had. I am able to tell how grateful I should be by how happy I am. And I am very happy.
In any event, I see gratitude as an acknowledgement of that which we appreciate, often obtained through the help of others or as a gift, i.e. through means beyond our choice and control. We may ask for things but the gratitude comes form the receiving of our request be the free will of another. Most often expressed using the phrase, "Thank you."
There are a number of things that I get from being gracious. Humility is probably at the top of the list. By being grateful to others I acknowledge my own limitations. In addition, because acts deserving gratitude are given by another's free will I can be humbled by others' trust or dedication to me. This is the reason I am very grateful for my wife - because she voluntarily sticks around and hasn't killed me yet. I am grateful for my children and the way that they act and think. I've tried to teach them, even to condition them, but the choice is ultimately theirs. The fact that my children want me to give them hugs and kisses at bed time and tell me that they love me really drives me to humility as I am a very imperfect person and yet, somehow, my children feel that I am deserving of their love.
Gratitude also gives me closer relationships with friends and family. This is imply an extension of common politeness. Being around someone who is not gracious can be draining and not pleasant, particularly when you're working on something together. Ungrateful people tend to be a little more self-centered or egotistical. Sometimes people just don't feel that people need to thank them, and so following the golden rule they don't thank others. Often these people are already close friends or I've arrived at an understand with them for working purposes. However, I've found that when I'm more free with my thanks it increases the strength of my relationship with others. A sincere "thank you" can help strengthen those bonds that you consider the most important. I cannot stress what it has done to strengthen the relationship with my wife.
When I express my gratitude I find that I am generally a much happier person. My day appears a little more bright and my experiences tend to be more positive. For whatever reason this is, I enjoy the fact that with a simple and relatively small act I can increase my general well being. Also, by being active with my gratitude I see more opportunities to express it. It's amazing what you can find yourself thankful for even when you're going to difficulty.
I also feel fortunate that as a man of faith I can always thank my Heavenly Father that is God for those things that I have that have come to me by chance, circumstance, or even my own efforts. I believe that anyone can achieve great achievements through diligent work and focus and I believe that those opportunities are given to us by God. It was He that brought us to live upon this earth and established our history and abilities. I believe that He has given us the agency to choose our paths and that he is a fair and just God who loves us like I love my own children. Just as I provide opportunities for my children to attend school, play, and learn it is up to them to actually do so and to make the most of their experience. I am proud of every achievement my children accomplish and if they don't thank me for providing the opportunity because they are too busy making the most of it, I can understand that. Still it's very nice when they let me know how much they appreciate the opportunity. I feel that our gratitude to God is the same. There may be things that we receive directly from him - my son surviving being born 27 weeks early with minimal difficulty was a miracle of both medical and divine power. I thank God for my son every time I see him. I also thank God for the opportunity to meet my wife and have children. I still had to do the looking, the courting, and the wedding, but I am still thankful to God that the opportunity was there.
I am very thankful for my life which was initiated by a loving God, influenced by family and friends, and enhanced by the wonderful opportunities that I've had. I am able to tell how grateful I should be by how happy I am. And I am very happy.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Dreams
I had a dream this week where I underwent a number of adventures in a spooky and sinister town. It seemed quite real with time progressing. Like the movie Stalker I remember the dream being tense, but nothing actually happened. The weirdest part of the dream was the end. The dream ended with me getting into bed at the end of my dream day and ended as my alarm went off, waking me up to reality. My first thought on waking was, "My heavens! I just lay down. Did I get any sleep?" It was then that I remembered / realized that I had experienced a rather life-like dream. That got me thinking about dreams, what causes them and how they effect us.
Most people know that we sleep in cycles, moving through different kinds of sleep and that dreams occur in the final stage, Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. While REM sleep doesn't last very long (18 to 23 minutes on average of a 90 min sleep cycle) the images and sounds we experience seem very real. Our bodies are actually paralyzed (by our mind) to prevent us from acting out our dreams. As we shift between sleep cycles, just like shifting gears in a car, we occasionally slip and not make the full transition. This can cause us to act out our dreams, to wake partially but still be paralyzed, to have our dreams superimposed on our awake vision, and various other things. While there is a whole host of sleeping disorders, dissociations in sleep, and parasomnia, but that's not what I am looking at here. I just want to look at dreams.
As an article I found in Psychology Today starts, Freud was well known for his thoughts on dreams - presenting them as "poems we tell ourselves at night in order to experience our unconscious wishes as real." The article goes on to say that Freud was only partially right and then presents five theories currently held today. A search on Google of "Why we dream" will pull up a variety of different theories. As the article I start this paragraph with includes theories put forth by many other sites and sources, I'll stick with it. The long and the short of it is that we still don't know everything about dreams. the theories (and that is exactly what they are) propose in a nut shell that dreams are the brain processing information from the day. Whether it's to sort it, locate the important stuff, or "defrag our hard drive" dreams are often heavily influenced by the activities, thoughts, and emotions from the day. But just because you have a particular dream doesn't mean that you experienced a specific sequence of stimuli that codified your dream. Dream interpretation is, at best, "metaphor mongering," posing the most plausible symbolic and / or rational reason for the cause of the dream. There are plenty of people that think that dreams have no specific purpose but are simply a natural part of our brain.
Interestingly, we often talk about our deepest desires, fantastic ideals, or things aspire towards as our "dreams." This may be because we often live out our fantasies in our dreams, particularly when we have what are referred to as lucid dreams. A lucid dream is one that we know that it is a dream and knowing that we are dreaming often allows us to take control of the dream and use the broken physics and logic of our imagination to do what we want. My father has told me that his favorite dreams are when he is falling - because he quickly realizes that it's a dream and that lets him fly.
One of my favorite lines in Voyages of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis is when they rescue a man from a sinister isle. He tells them to get away as fast as they can. When questioned why he responds, "It's where dreams come true." When the crew starts exclaiming what a great place it must be, he clarifies, "not those dreams." Nightmares are a classic icon of terror, suspense, and anxiety. But people have given them a more realized image as well. In Piers Anthony's Xanth books (where all things are literal - literally) nightmares are black female horses which bring bad dreams to people. I found it fun that a similar image was used used in the recent Rise of the Guardians movie from Dreamworks. However, upon waking up from a nightmare there is little that is entertaining. Because dreams are often emotionally driven our nightmares don't feel fake.
Dreams may never be understood. There are certainly parts of them that are, but enough that is not to make it still puzzling. Here's hoping for sweet dreams for all who read this.
Most people know that we sleep in cycles, moving through different kinds of sleep and that dreams occur in the final stage, Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep. While REM sleep doesn't last very long (18 to 23 minutes on average of a 90 min sleep cycle) the images and sounds we experience seem very real. Our bodies are actually paralyzed (by our mind) to prevent us from acting out our dreams. As we shift between sleep cycles, just like shifting gears in a car, we occasionally slip and not make the full transition. This can cause us to act out our dreams, to wake partially but still be paralyzed, to have our dreams superimposed on our awake vision, and various other things. While there is a whole host of sleeping disorders, dissociations in sleep, and parasomnia, but that's not what I am looking at here. I just want to look at dreams.
As an article I found in Psychology Today starts, Freud was well known for his thoughts on dreams - presenting them as "poems we tell ourselves at night in order to experience our unconscious wishes as real." The article goes on to say that Freud was only partially right and then presents five theories currently held today. A search on Google of "Why we dream" will pull up a variety of different theories. As the article I start this paragraph with includes theories put forth by many other sites and sources, I'll stick with it. The long and the short of it is that we still don't know everything about dreams. the theories (and that is exactly what they are) propose in a nut shell that dreams are the brain processing information from the day. Whether it's to sort it, locate the important stuff, or "defrag our hard drive" dreams are often heavily influenced by the activities, thoughts, and emotions from the day. But just because you have a particular dream doesn't mean that you experienced a specific sequence of stimuli that codified your dream. Dream interpretation is, at best, "metaphor mongering," posing the most plausible symbolic and / or rational reason for the cause of the dream. There are plenty of people that think that dreams have no specific purpose but are simply a natural part of our brain.
Interestingly, we often talk about our deepest desires, fantastic ideals, or things aspire towards as our "dreams." This may be because we often live out our fantasies in our dreams, particularly when we have what are referred to as lucid dreams. A lucid dream is one that we know that it is a dream and knowing that we are dreaming often allows us to take control of the dream and use the broken physics and logic of our imagination to do what we want. My father has told me that his favorite dreams are when he is falling - because he quickly realizes that it's a dream and that lets him fly.
One of my favorite lines in Voyages of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis is when they rescue a man from a sinister isle. He tells them to get away as fast as they can. When questioned why he responds, "It's where dreams come true." When the crew starts exclaiming what a great place it must be, he clarifies, "not those dreams." Nightmares are a classic icon of terror, suspense, and anxiety. But people have given them a more realized image as well. In Piers Anthony's Xanth books (where all things are literal - literally) nightmares are black female horses which bring bad dreams to people. I found it fun that a similar image was used used in the recent Rise of the Guardians movie from Dreamworks. However, upon waking up from a nightmare there is little that is entertaining. Because dreams are often emotionally driven our nightmares don't feel fake.
Dreams may never be understood. There are certainly parts of them that are, but enough that is not to make it still puzzling. Here's hoping for sweet dreams for all who read this.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
The Unknown Expectation of College
This is a topic that I used to teach in a full day lecture and have presented a profession conference. I'm a big fan of cognitive theory and the things we can gain from it. While this isn't one of the "student development" theories it is a very real one when it comes to college. It also explains why algebra is required for college degrees. You might have seen it before in regards to note taking, asking questions, but I think that a basic understanding of this concept teaches students what their professors expect from them.
This pyramid was developed by Benjamin Bloom back in the 1950s and is referred to as Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning. The basic idea of the taxonomy is that not all learning is equal. As we learn new things we progress through the different levels of leaning. We cannot move into higher levels of learning without first achieving the levels below them. The levels are broken down as follows:
Knowledge (basic learning) - being able to repeat information as it was given to you. Defining terms, listing components, repeating concepts you have heard.
Understanding (simple comprehension) - the ability to explain in your own words. Taking the information out of context and replaying it to someone else.
Application (initiation of action) - using the information to accomplish a task or other such action. seeing how the information works in the context of the material.
Analysis (Deep understanding) - breaking the information down into its respective components and seeing how the parts interact. Also, seeing how the information fits into the greater context and outside of the initial context. Identifying relationships between the information and itself and other topics and facts.
Synthesis - (deep application, creation) - using the information to create new ideas, conclusions and applications. Using the component pieces to produce new ends and means.
Evaluation (defending your conclusions and actions) - having the ability to defend your conclusions and actions to others using clear and developed arguments and evidences.
The best way to break down the levels is with the use of action verbs - verbs that require action or demonstrate clear objectives. These verbs are often found in the assignments, tests, and research proposals that professors give. Being able to associate the verb with the level helps students understand what kind of depth or quality the professor is looking for. There are many lists of action verbs, but I like this one from Clemson University. It's got a nice layout and a good list of verbs.
Now, the expectation that I explain to college students. In high school the basic standard of teaching and learning is that students are expected to demonstrate that they know and understand the material as it was presented to them. Teachers and students do not progress much beyond the first to layers of the pyramid. However, when student arrive at college, the professors will often times help them achieve those same levels of a topic, but then will expect work on the higher levels. They try to give the tools to help students move from one to the next, but they are not content if students just linger in the levels of knowledge and understanding. This is often why new freshman will complain that their tests are not fair. "The test was about stuff that we didn't cover in class." or "I don't remember seeing this in class." These responses are often the case because the student leaned the material on a minimal level but the professor is testing their higher level learning.
What does this have to do with algebra? If the goal of college is to get people to think on a higher level then algebra is the natural gateway. Example:
Knowledge level - Define addition: calculating the total of two or more amounts (citation)
Understanding level - Explain addition: what you get when you combine two numbers
Application level - 2+2=? answer: 4
Analysis level - 2+?=4 answer: 2
Basic algebra, even in such a simple calculation, elevates a persons thinking - requiring them to analyze, break down, and find the relationships in the equation. When my old math teach said, "This is to make you think" the desire was not just a cognitive process. Bloom shows us that not all thinking is the same. This is to get you to think deeper then you might normally. This is to stretch your brain so that it doesn't return to its original, limited state, but to enlarge your capabilities. Like I said last week "This is to make you think" is the most accurate response to the question "why do I need to study algebra." i also think that it is the most valid and the best. This is why colleges set a standard on the minimum level of mathematics students must complete. So they can be sure that students are going to have an opportunity to think on those levels that can actually empower students to be proactive and not just reactive.
This pyramid was developed by Benjamin Bloom back in the 1950s and is referred to as Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning. The basic idea of the taxonomy is that not all learning is equal. As we learn new things we progress through the different levels of leaning. We cannot move into higher levels of learning without first achieving the levels below them. The levels are broken down as follows:
Knowledge (basic learning) - being able to repeat information as it was given to you. Defining terms, listing components, repeating concepts you have heard.
Understanding (simple comprehension) - the ability to explain in your own words. Taking the information out of context and replaying it to someone else.
Application (initiation of action) - using the information to accomplish a task or other such action. seeing how the information works in the context of the material.
Analysis (Deep understanding) - breaking the information down into its respective components and seeing how the parts interact. Also, seeing how the information fits into the greater context and outside of the initial context. Identifying relationships between the information and itself and other topics and facts.
Synthesis - (deep application, creation) - using the information to create new ideas, conclusions and applications. Using the component pieces to produce new ends and means.
Evaluation (defending your conclusions and actions) - having the ability to defend your conclusions and actions to others using clear and developed arguments and evidences.
The best way to break down the levels is with the use of action verbs - verbs that require action or demonstrate clear objectives. These verbs are often found in the assignments, tests, and research proposals that professors give. Being able to associate the verb with the level helps students understand what kind of depth or quality the professor is looking for. There are many lists of action verbs, but I like this one from Clemson University. It's got a nice layout and a good list of verbs.
Now, the expectation that I explain to college students. In high school the basic standard of teaching and learning is that students are expected to demonstrate that they know and understand the material as it was presented to them. Teachers and students do not progress much beyond the first to layers of the pyramid. However, when student arrive at college, the professors will often times help them achieve those same levels of a topic, but then will expect work on the higher levels. They try to give the tools to help students move from one to the next, but they are not content if students just linger in the levels of knowledge and understanding. This is often why new freshman will complain that their tests are not fair. "The test was about stuff that we didn't cover in class." or "I don't remember seeing this in class." These responses are often the case because the student leaned the material on a minimal level but the professor is testing their higher level learning.
What does this have to do with algebra? If the goal of college is to get people to think on a higher level then algebra is the natural gateway. Example:
Knowledge level - Define addition: calculating the total of two or more amounts (citation)
Understanding level - Explain addition: what you get when you combine two numbers
Application level - 2+2=? answer: 4
Analysis level - 2+?=4 answer: 2
Basic algebra, even in such a simple calculation, elevates a persons thinking - requiring them to analyze, break down, and find the relationships in the equation. When my old math teach said, "This is to make you think" the desire was not just a cognitive process. Bloom shows us that not all thinking is the same. This is to get you to think deeper then you might normally. This is to stretch your brain so that it doesn't return to its original, limited state, but to enlarge your capabilities. Like I said last week "This is to make you think" is the most accurate response to the question "why do I need to study algebra." i also think that it is the most valid and the best. This is why colleges set a standard on the minimum level of mathematics students must complete. So they can be sure that students are going to have an opportunity to think on those levels that can actually empower students to be proactive and not just reactive.
Thursday, November 7, 2013
When will I ever use this?
I've commented on Mathematics in the past but some recent discussion are moving me towards it again. Last time I discussed reasons people may despise math. This time, I would like to look at why math is considered a critical skill college - or at least critical enough to be required for general education. The most well known course for the Quantitative Literacy requirement is MATH 1050 - College Algebra, but it may be one of up to five course options. The office I work in has been tasked with enforcing the math completion policy for our university, so I hear plenty of students complete about, berate, and in so many other way despise the policy, math, math teaching, and everything else related. As the messengers of this policy our staff has be metaphorically shot at on a regular basis. This was the catalyst of the previous post, but I would like to provide an answer to those students who may ask, "When will I ever use this?" It is a fair question and deserves an answer.
My high school math teacher, when confronted with this question used to say, "You won't [use this]. This is to make you think." I feel that this is the most accurate answer to the proffered question. There is a lot in mathematics that is either specialized for specific calculations, or they are more abstract concepts that are the foundation for those specific calculations. With that said, that instructor taught my trigonometry class and as well as other classes required for calculus. Algebra, the basis for all other advanced mathematics, is used more often. I would like to split the usage into two areas: unconscious calculations and intentional calculations.
Unconscious calculations are the ones that you do without even thinking about it. Every time you get in a car and drive you brain is processing velocity, acceleration, position, distance, and time equations faster than your reflexes can even respond. The same is true of any physical activity or sport - to catch a ball is an exercise in those same factors so you know where to move your hand. The world you live in can be described in numbers, vectors, shapes, solids, and velocities. Without your brain's ability to do math people would never had killed enough food to evolve past subsistence level of living. All of this is algebra. This is not to say that if you have difficulty in solving algebra problems in your math book that you are a bad driver. The math that our brain does without thinking about it is intuitive. But if we consider those calculations that we do intuitively - then the answer to our questions is, "Every moment of every day."
Intentional calculations are the ones we actively choose to do or the ones that our math classes require us to do. Even thought these are a active choice there are certain calculations we do all the time without thinking about it. Anytime you look at a clock to see how much time you have, you are doing algebra.
available funds - (original price * discount percentage) = new available funds
These two examples may be obvious to most people. Those same people may come back and say that use calculations do not require exponents or fractions. That is true, for the most part - some purchases may be very complex. Even if such calculations are not very complex by studying algebra you are practicing skills that you use every day. The more practice you have the better you get at them, the better you get the more consistently accurate you are and the fast you are. Until such equations, no matter how complex may be.
There are other areas where intentional calculations come into play. Many hobbies that people do use math, including: wood workings (or other building hobbies - measuring, scale, etc.), cooking (one of the few places that people intentionally calculate fractions), gambling (probability), and many other games of all kinds (angles in strategy games, keeping and maximizing score, fields of view, the list goes on.) Again, these may not require exponents or logs, etc, but those develop complexity and give practice. You cannot be good at something unless you are stretched.
The last place that I want to mention that people use algebra every day is in problem solving. I don't think it's a coincidence that the individual calculations that we are required to solve in math classes are referred to as math problems and that the process of resolving difficulties as problem solving. I don't know which came first, perhaps it's an example of the chicken vs. the egg, but regardless math problems and problem solving go hand in hand. Just like we can describe the vast majority of our physical world in terms of mathematics many of our social, emotional, and mental situations can also be labeled in terms of mathematics.
Perhaps next week I'll go into the biggest reason that math is taught in college in what I call the unknown expectation of college. But until then, I think this is sufficient.
My high school math teacher, when confronted with this question used to say, "You won't [use this]. This is to make you think." I feel that this is the most accurate answer to the proffered question. There is a lot in mathematics that is either specialized for specific calculations, or they are more abstract concepts that are the foundation for those specific calculations. With that said, that instructor taught my trigonometry class and as well as other classes required for calculus. Algebra, the basis for all other advanced mathematics, is used more often. I would like to split the usage into two areas: unconscious calculations and intentional calculations.
Unconscious calculations are the ones that you do without even thinking about it. Every time you get in a car and drive you brain is processing velocity, acceleration, position, distance, and time equations faster than your reflexes can even respond. The same is true of any physical activity or sport - to catch a ball is an exercise in those same factors so you know where to move your hand. The world you live in can be described in numbers, vectors, shapes, solids, and velocities. Without your brain's ability to do math people would never had killed enough food to evolve past subsistence level of living. All of this is algebra. This is not to say that if you have difficulty in solving algebra problems in your math book that you are a bad driver. The math that our brain does without thinking about it is intuitive. But if we consider those calculations that we do intuitively - then the answer to our questions is, "Every moment of every day."
Intentional calculations are the ones we actively choose to do or the ones that our math classes require us to do. Even thought these are a active choice there are certain calculations we do all the time without thinking about it. Anytime you look at a clock to see how much time you have, you are doing algebra.
current time + (how much time) = target time.Any time you use money, particularly cash, you use algebra. This is very true when figuring out a tip, a discount, or other promotions.
available funds - purchase price = new available funds
original price * discount percentage = new priceFactor that into the original equation:
available funds - (original price * discount percentage) = new available funds
These two examples may be obvious to most people. Those same people may come back and say that use calculations do not require exponents or fractions. That is true, for the most part - some purchases may be very complex. Even if such calculations are not very complex by studying algebra you are practicing skills that you use every day. The more practice you have the better you get at them, the better you get the more consistently accurate you are and the fast you are. Until such equations, no matter how complex may be.
There are other areas where intentional calculations come into play. Many hobbies that people do use math, including: wood workings (or other building hobbies - measuring, scale, etc.), cooking (one of the few places that people intentionally calculate fractions), gambling (probability), and many other games of all kinds (angles in strategy games, keeping and maximizing score, fields of view, the list goes on.) Again, these may not require exponents or logs, etc, but those develop complexity and give practice. You cannot be good at something unless you are stretched.
The last place that I want to mention that people use algebra every day is in problem solving. I don't think it's a coincidence that the individual calculations that we are required to solve in math classes are referred to as math problems and that the process of resolving difficulties as problem solving. I don't know which came first, perhaps it's an example of the chicken vs. the egg, but regardless math problems and problem solving go hand in hand. Just like we can describe the vast majority of our physical world in terms of mathematics many of our social, emotional, and mental situations can also be labeled in terms of mathematics.
If X happens, then Y will occur. But if I don't want Y to occur, then I must do Z.Anytime you have a situation with any number of possible outcomes the ability to reason is key. That reasoning is often termed logic and is the basic language of mathematics. The ability that you gain in learning how to arrange, manipulate, and see the relationships in numbers translates to other kinds of problems as well. So even though you may never use numbers in your future equations, algebra is again proven to be helpful in everyday interactions and situations.
Perhaps next week I'll go into the biggest reason that math is taught in college in what I call the unknown expectation of college. But until then, I think this is sufficient.
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Suspense
My wife will tell you that I am not a fan of scary movies. She enjoys a good scary movie every once in a while, but she can't watch them with me. I attribute it to my active imagination. We watched The Others our first Halloween at 10:00 am with the sun shining nice and bright through the window. That's how much I'm not a fan of scary movies. Perhaps it was from seeing a big chunk of the movie It when I was about eight. Not a happy memory. No, I'm not afraid of clowns.
The funny thing is, my fear is primarily in events that have a super-natural element. I enjoy watching many of Hitchcock's films including To Catch a Thief, The Man who Knew to Much, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Rear Window, and (my personal favorite) Rebecca. I also like Charade by Stanley Donen, and Wait until Dark by Terence Young. Despite my enjoyment of many of Hitchcock's films as well as others, I have no interest in seeing The Birds, or Psycho. Those movies frankly scare me. Perhaps it is the idea of the ordinary becoming malicious. A normal shower becomes a scene of a murder. Crows and ravens descend as killers. For whatever reason, there are plenty of films that I have no desire to see.
Interestingly enough, the same is true of books. In fifth grade I would asked to be excused when the teacher started reading "scary stories" as part of a Halloween ramp-up. However, one day she pulled out a collection of Edgar Allen Poe short stories and I fell in love with his dark style. "The Masque of the Red Death" and "Cask of Amontillado" are two of my favorites along with "Hop-Frog" and "the Pit and the Pendulum." As I mentioned previously, Dracula by Bram Stoker is a personal favorite of mine after reading it in college. I will say, however, that when I first read it, I would not read it after 3:00 pm - just to be sure.
What many of these stories, whether printed or filmed, have in common is suspense. I attended a lecture one Halloween in college where a professor of English and film talked about what made Hitchcock so good at suspense. He explained that suspense is not the unknown, but rather when you know what is going to happen and you are watching someone who doesn't know what is happening. This image - of a person standing behind the shower curtain, out of sight and consequently unknown to the lady - is more suspenseful than this one of the woman seeing Mr. Norman Bates.
.jpg "What is truly scary is thinking about how long you were in danger without realizing it.")
Hitchcock was also good at turning that model on it's head. Rear Window has you watching a man who is witnessing this catalyst for suspense himself. He can the danger that his friend is in even when she can't. And our suspense it watching him in suspense. Rear Window may very well be one of the most suspenseful films done simply because of this strange twist on the usual formula.
The Birds is not to be left out. Here Hitchcock plays our own knowledge against us. In the iconic schoolyard scene we see a flock of crows gathering. We know that the woman cannot see them and that the crows having nothing good planned. But lets see what Hitchcock does with our expectations. Watch the scene here.
I'd have posted the clip in text, but it gives away Hitchcock's device. We know what to expect and instead of meeting them, Hitchcock gives us an overdose - a shock that turns the suspense we feel for the women to share in her terror as she realizes what is in store for her. Rebecca does a similar thing where we expect to hear one thing and then find out another. We think we have him figured out, only to find out it's much worse.
This Halloween I won't be watching anything worse than The Mummy staring Brendan Fraser or even Abbot and Costello meet the Mummy. This is in part because we will have smallish children with us, and also because I don't really like scary movies. I hope you enjoy your Halloween.
The funny thing is, my fear is primarily in events that have a super-natural element. I enjoy watching many of Hitchcock's films including To Catch a Thief, The Man who Knew to Much, Vertigo, North by Northwest, Rear Window, and (my personal favorite) Rebecca. I also like Charade by Stanley Donen, and Wait until Dark by Terence Young. Despite my enjoyment of many of Hitchcock's films as well as others, I have no interest in seeing The Birds, or Psycho. Those movies frankly scare me. Perhaps it is the idea of the ordinary becoming malicious. A normal shower becomes a scene of a murder. Crows and ravens descend as killers. For whatever reason, there are plenty of films that I have no desire to see.
Interestingly enough, the same is true of books. In fifth grade I would asked to be excused when the teacher started reading "scary stories" as part of a Halloween ramp-up. However, one day she pulled out a collection of Edgar Allen Poe short stories and I fell in love with his dark style. "The Masque of the Red Death" and "Cask of Amontillado" are two of my favorites along with "Hop-Frog" and "the Pit and the Pendulum." As I mentioned previously, Dracula by Bram Stoker is a personal favorite of mine after reading it in college. I will say, however, that when I first read it, I would not read it after 3:00 pm - just to be sure.
What many of these stories, whether printed or filmed, have in common is suspense. I attended a lecture one Halloween in college where a professor of English and film talked about what made Hitchcock so good at suspense. He explained that suspense is not the unknown, but rather when you know what is going to happen and you are watching someone who doesn't know what is happening. This image - of a person standing behind the shower curtain, out of sight and consequently unknown to the lady - is more suspenseful than this one of the woman seeing Mr. Norman Bates.
Hitchcock was also good at turning that model on it's head. Rear Window has you watching a man who is witnessing this catalyst for suspense himself. He can the danger that his friend is in even when she can't. And our suspense it watching him in suspense. Rear Window may very well be one of the most suspenseful films done simply because of this strange twist on the usual formula.
The Birds is not to be left out. Here Hitchcock plays our own knowledge against us. In the iconic schoolyard scene we see a flock of crows gathering. We know that the woman cannot see them and that the crows having nothing good planned. But lets see what Hitchcock does with our expectations. Watch the scene here.
I'd have posted the clip in text, but it gives away Hitchcock's device. We know what to expect and instead of meeting them, Hitchcock gives us an overdose - a shock that turns the suspense we feel for the women to share in her terror as she realizes what is in store for her. Rebecca does a similar thing where we expect to hear one thing and then find out another. We think we have him figured out, only to find out it's much worse.
This Halloween I won't be watching anything worse than The Mummy staring Brendan Fraser or even Abbot and Costello meet the Mummy. This is in part because we will have smallish children with us, and also because I don't really like scary movies. I hope you enjoy your Halloween.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Real life Twilight: Vampires and Werewolves
Since I posted last week on Dracula, the big bad himself, and with All Hallow's Eve coming up next week I figured I'd share some stuff I learned about real like vampires and werewolves.
Both of these resulted in my discovering the National Geographic Wild YouTube channel. In addition to having some fun animal stuff (as well as other National Geographic programs), there are even full episodes of shows. One that I've recently watched is America the Wild with Casey Anderson. He strikes me as a Bear Grylls meets the Kratt Brothers - an outdoor enthusiast with a strong interest in animals. That and like the Kratts, he's willing to do some pseudo-crazy things. Like lie down with a bunch cows that are being fed off of by vampire bats.
Some interesting points that come up in the episode. For instance, vampire bats are the only mammal that that are exclusively hematophagy (feed on blood). From what I could find, the only other creatures that only subside on blood are our common friends in the bug world. Another interesting fact is that if you are on the look out for vampire bats, you need to watch the ground. They sneak up on their pray and leap on them, rather than flying on them. Something else I found interesting is that the their face is packed full of heat sensors that can pick up where the blood is closest to the surface. From there they simply open up the vein and let their spit keep the blood from clotting. I can't say I would ever find myself getting cozy with a vampire bat, but they are kind of cool for how they have adapted and their unique hunting style.
I also promised werewolves and while I still think that Corriea has the coolest werewolf ever in Earl Harbringer (see the first sentence on that page, "Dirty Harry meets Twilight." got to love it! Oh, click next to read chapters from the book.) I have to confess that Casey's Monster Wolf is a pretty convincing idea.
The premise of the Monster Wolf episode is to try to explain why there are wolves and wolf packs that are more aggressive - and consequently more dangerous to people. The hypothesis is that at some point the wolves bred with dogs giving their mental and genetic makeup a bit of a cognitive dissonance. On one hand they are familiar with humans and being near them. On the other they have instincts that make them extremely dangerous. Ultimately what you get with a wolf-dog (the result of interbreeding) is a creature that is not afraid of humans but that is hardwired to protect itself, its territory, and its food from everything. They point out that wolves, even cubs, cannot be domesticated. It's an argument of nature verses nurture and with wolves nature is all that matters. In some ways wolf-dogs are literal werewolves because they will be very dog like - playing, romping, etc - but as the video shows (just after the 17 minute mark) they can turn into the primal wolf with the right stimuli. It may not be a full moon, but the change happens just as fast.
Werewolves and Vampires have a long history in culture and folklore. I will put in another plug for Corriea's Monster Hunter Alpha (and the rest of the series to boot) as it gives a different mythos to the origin of werewolves. And lets just face it that Earl Harbinger could take Jacob, Sam, and the whole twilight pack apart. And that would be even before he changed forms. While the Volturi show up with just a lot of people, Earl brings a small crew and a Carl Gustav. Larry, I want to read the account of MHI taking out the Volturi. Make it happen!
Both of these resulted in my discovering the National Geographic Wild YouTube channel. In addition to having some fun animal stuff (as well as other National Geographic programs), there are even full episodes of shows. One that I've recently watched is America the Wild with Casey Anderson. He strikes me as a Bear Grylls meets the Kratt Brothers - an outdoor enthusiast with a strong interest in animals. That and like the Kratts, he's willing to do some pseudo-crazy things. Like lie down with a bunch cows that are being fed off of by vampire bats.
Some interesting points that come up in the episode. For instance, vampire bats are the only mammal that that are exclusively hematophagy (feed on blood). From what I could find, the only other creatures that only subside on blood are our common friends in the bug world. Another interesting fact is that if you are on the look out for vampire bats, you need to watch the ground. They sneak up on their pray and leap on them, rather than flying on them. Something else I found interesting is that the their face is packed full of heat sensors that can pick up where the blood is closest to the surface. From there they simply open up the vein and let their spit keep the blood from clotting. I can't say I would ever find myself getting cozy with a vampire bat, but they are kind of cool for how they have adapted and their unique hunting style.
I also promised werewolves and while I still think that Corriea has the coolest werewolf ever in Earl Harbringer (see the first sentence on that page, "Dirty Harry meets Twilight." got to love it! Oh, click next to read chapters from the book.) I have to confess that Casey's Monster Wolf is a pretty convincing idea.
The premise of the Monster Wolf episode is to try to explain why there are wolves and wolf packs that are more aggressive - and consequently more dangerous to people. The hypothesis is that at some point the wolves bred with dogs giving their mental and genetic makeup a bit of a cognitive dissonance. On one hand they are familiar with humans and being near them. On the other they have instincts that make them extremely dangerous. Ultimately what you get with a wolf-dog (the result of interbreeding) is a creature that is not afraid of humans but that is hardwired to protect itself, its territory, and its food from everything. They point out that wolves, even cubs, cannot be domesticated. It's an argument of nature verses nurture and with wolves nature is all that matters. In some ways wolf-dogs are literal werewolves because they will be very dog like - playing, romping, etc - but as the video shows (just after the 17 minute mark) they can turn into the primal wolf with the right stimuli. It may not be a full moon, but the change happens just as fast.
Werewolves and Vampires have a long history in culture and folklore. I will put in another plug for Corriea's Monster Hunter Alpha (and the rest of the series to boot) as it gives a different mythos to the origin of werewolves. And lets just face it that Earl Harbinger could take Jacob, Sam, and the whole twilight pack apart. And that would be even before he changed forms. While the Volturi show up with just a lot of people, Earl brings a small crew and a Carl Gustav. Larry, I want to read the account of MHI taking out the Volturi. Make it happen!
Thursday, October 17, 2013
The Monster Man
.jpg "The cover of the edition of Dracula that I own.")
I have to agree with Tracy Hickman. In a Writing Excuses episode from 2009 he expressed his resistance against the popular rise of vampires by saying: "Vampires are monsters, and they should be monsters, and they've turned into cute, cuddly, hunks. And I object to that. I think that's actually ill serves women, because what we've done is, we've taken this monstrous cliche, the idea of the monster man as a warning -- a cautionary tale for women and turned it into a chick-flick." In the original Dracula story, by Bram Stoker, Dracula is a creature that steals infants from their mothers to drink their blood, kills without hesitation, and is intent on dominating others - by forcing them to drink his own blood. He is methodical, cunning, vicious, and worst of all charming - the mask he uses to cover his viciousness. Some may say that he is justified by his love of country and his desire to preserve it, but the question is "justified to what?" Character has grown stronger over the years as others have interpreted him and his power and abilities have grown. Yet, I see no situation in which he himself would seek redemption. I suppose the new series could feature an anti-hero as our main character. I can't say that I've ever really got into those however. So what is this interest in the macabre [dealing with death] romance?
Dan Wells, in his novella Night of Blacker Darkness, may demonstrate another part of the equation. Wells' vampires are weaklings who cannot overpower an adult. They are easily overcome by any strong smell (one was turned away by a sharp cheddar cheese once) and are quite pathetic. They claim to have started the Gothic movement "to romanticize the concept of the powerless victim." (Their problem now is that all they got are moody young women who start book clubs. Really, the book is hilarious.) If you take the idea of Tracy's "monster man" and combine it with Dan's "helpless victim," I wonder if you get the recent surge in paranormal romance. The same Dan Wells, along with his brother Rob, put together a fun list of "Which monster would be the best boyfriend?" Dracula scored below Mr. Hyde and above the Phantom of the Opera. He was docked down the list because he already has three wives already. But lets not forget that he is a monster.
Now, despite this line of thinking, I must confess to quite enjoying the movie Hotel Transylvania which features Dracula as an over-protective father, trying to keep his daughter safe from the terrors of humanity. Perhaps I feel more comfortable with this Dracula because he is such a complete opposite of Bram Stocker's. Or maybe it's the fact that I can be empathetic to his situation (I found out that my 5 year old already has a cadre of boys following her around and I want to buy a shot gun). Or perhaps because there is such a need to suspend disbelief for everything else, I can excuse such a portrayal of evil as "misunderstood." Whatever the reason, you may call me a hypocrite for liking one alternate version of Dracula while disparaging another. With that said, I know what to do with vampires, regardless of if they're named Dracula or not.
Or you can always read Larry Corriea for some suitable ways to get rid of them. My personal favorite is plastic explosives. I would love to see a Twilight / MHI crossover. And yes, I've read both series.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
What are you saying?
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I returned from a professional conference this week. out of the fifteen or so sessions I attended two of them were on nonverbal communication. I work with students all day, not to mention coworkers, and have a lot of customer service type interactions. Our office manages a couple of initiatives that are rather unpopular to certain populations of students, i.e. students with low grades or who don't want to take math. Consequently, we often times have to listen to the hard luck stories of students, or try to defuse their anger. As one of the presenters mentioned, we are communicating constantly, particularly when we don't say anything. Regardless of what we do we are sending a message. Even if you are wearing a "blank" facial expression your body is sending messages.Both presentations brought up the extend of non-verbal communication. Most people just think of body language (kinesics) and voice intonation (vocalics), but the list also includes: appearance and adornment (what you look like and wear), use of space (proxermics), touch (haptics), eye contact and facial expressions, environment and artifacts, and even your use of time (chronemics). One of the things that both presentations brought up, and something that many people are aware of if they've traveled, is that different cultures have different standards and customs that. Things you may suspect to be universal are not. With that said, their are seven universal facial expressions. You'll notice that most of them are differentiated by specific but limited attributes. There are lots of ways you can embellish those expressions, but it's clear when the prime attributes are absent.
I am all for people being individuals. I like to be myself and afford others the same opportunity. With that said, often people are communicating one thing while their words say something else. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Who you are speaks so loudly I can't hear what you're saying." When we consider that our appearance and what we choose to wear (or not wear) is a very real part of what we communicate, I wonder why people get such elaborate facial tattoos. Also, consider what Howard Tayler pointed out in his wonderful "Charisma is not a dump stat" blog post from several years ago. To quote the gist of the post (you should read the whole thing):
If you want to be a professional writer, illustrator, or other creator, you may be enticed into believing that your dress, demeanor, and interpersonal skills are less important than they are in other fields. This is patently false. ... If you're trying to...get an editor to read that 200,000 word manuscript, you cannot afford to be anything other than easy to get along with and inoffensive to the other senses.The importance of appearance, proxermics, and chronemics are often missed. The presenter of one session played a clip showing the impact of the "close talker" on people. How close you stand to people says something, as does if you are on time or late whenever you meet with them. Do you have a friend that is "flaky," a person who makes plans but consistently falls through? That says something about them.
I need to note the importance of intent vs. impact, which I've usually heard in regards to sexual harassment prevention workshops. What you intend to say with your body language is can be misunderstood by the person "listening" to you. In the end, it doesn't matter what you intend because what is important to the other person is how it affects them - the impact of your non-verbal communication. While we can never have complete control over how our language is interpreted, it is important to make sure that the non-verbal communication we are sending is purposeful. Be mindful that you are communicating, particularly when you are not talking.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
This is going to hurt. A lot.
If you've been reading my other blog, Grandfather's Wish, you'd have seen a post on my latest past time - World War Wasp. The short of it that I got stung and decided it was time to get rid of the nest that they built in my shed. Since then I've been musing about the fact that wasps don't just sting you but actually inject a venom into you as well. At the moment venom is really on my mind as I have a face full of it. I tried going after the wasps again and in an effort not to get stung, dressed in a heavy leather coat, brimmed hat and even worn gloves. They responded to by investigation with extreme prejudice by stinging me on the only spot I hadn't covered - my face. I'm fine and despite a pretty harrowing experience in the past with wasps I have a pretty good tolerance for their stings. I still don't like to be stung. I just try to cope as best I can. I must say that getting stung in the face is madding because it itches and I don't want to tear my face off for a stupid wasp sting. Luckily the local pharmacist gave me some stuff to try that works really well. Anyway, back to venom.
As I was researching wasps in particular, I learned that their venom is designed to cause pain. They use it for a variety of things, but the bottom line result of having wasp venom injected into you is to put the hurt on you. This is because wasp stingers are very small - wasps are very small and they have to defend themselves from creatures much bigger them themselves. So the venom in a wasp is a psychological biological weapon. It destroys cell ways, particularly neurons, which cause the victim to register pain. It has additional things that stop the flow of blood in the area (so the venom can hang around as much as it likes) and others that enable it to move from cell to cell, hunting out neurons. The idea is to make the victim look at the wasp and feel a strong pain and say, "Holy Crap! That little bug just put a big hurt on me. I don't want any more of this!" and leave. Now of course there can be other side effects of wasp venom: swelling, infection, and even life-threatening anaphylactic reactions for those with an allergy to the venom. Because wasps, and their cousins bees, are so common and the chance of being stung likely treatments are pretty standard and those with allergies can get an Epi-Pen for quick treatment.
There are many other types of venom out there, however. Remember that venomous creatures are those that inject a dangerous substance into their victims. In order to be hurt by poisonous creatures you have to eat them. The list of venomous animals on Wikipedia needs some better organization, but it shows that you have all different kinds of animals: mammals, fish, reptiles, insects and arachnids, just about every kind of animal will have one that venomous. The actual process of having venom injected into you is called envenomation and that is not a word you want to see by "cause of death." Snakes tend to be be the most known venomous animals. Many know about rattlesnakes, cobras, and vipers. I would put spiders and scorpions as the runners up. Not just because they're venomous but also because they're creeping looking. Beyond those, I would imagine that many people don't think about other creatures being venomous, but be careful, because there are still quite a few you wouldn't think of.
Venom can be injected a number of ways. The most commonly thought of are fangs and stingers. This is probably because they just scream, "INJECTION!" They are designed to force venom into a victim in the most direct way possible. They are not the only ones. Many lizards, like the gila monster and the komoto dragon, have venomous saliva that they chew into their victims, saturating the wound with the toxins. Others, such as the male platypus, other mammals and many fish, have a spur or spine that either secretes or is covered in the venom and is then stab it into the victim. What is also interesting is that the creature can often choose whether to inject the venom or not. Wasps, apparently, do it every time. But snakes, particularly adult snakes will often bite without releasing the venom - as a way of warning off someone or something. This is why child or adolescent venomous creatures tend to be deadlier than their parents. Every situation is a dire one and so they will often inject as much venom as possible into everything that bothers them.
Granted, just because a creature can choose to inject venom doesn't mean it's worth the risk of getting bit. Venom can kill in so many different ways, and even the ones that don't kill can maim, blind, debilitate, or just flat out hurt like the devil. Some venom effect the blood, either causing it to clot and producing strokes or blockages, or letting it run freely which also causes problems. Often times venom contains a neuro-toxin which will interrupt the signals from the brain, often resulting in a victim muscles to seize up killing them by suffocation or cardiac arrest. What is truly interesting is that scientists can now deconstruct a creatures venom just from a DNA sample and use it to treat dangerous medical conditions. This article from National Geographic back in February talks about the research being done in venom studies and what potential cures are being discovered. It is a fascinating read and explains the strides being made much better than I can.
So, World War Wasp is still one, but I think their down to their last survivors. I'm just glad that I'm not allergic to wasp venom or that would be making my life very difficult right now.
As I was researching wasps in particular, I learned that their venom is designed to cause pain. They use it for a variety of things, but the bottom line result of having wasp venom injected into you is to put the hurt on you. This is because wasp stingers are very small - wasps are very small and they have to defend themselves from creatures much bigger them themselves. So the venom in a wasp is a psychological biological weapon. It destroys cell ways, particularly neurons, which cause the victim to register pain. It has additional things that stop the flow of blood in the area (so the venom can hang around as much as it likes) and others that enable it to move from cell to cell, hunting out neurons. The idea is to make the victim look at the wasp and feel a strong pain and say, "Holy Crap! That little bug just put a big hurt on me. I don't want any more of this!" and leave. Now of course there can be other side effects of wasp venom: swelling, infection, and even life-threatening anaphylactic reactions for those with an allergy to the venom. Because wasps, and their cousins bees, are so common and the chance of being stung likely treatments are pretty standard and those with allergies can get an Epi-Pen for quick treatment.
There are many other types of venom out there, however. Remember that venomous creatures are those that inject a dangerous substance into their victims. In order to be hurt by poisonous creatures you have to eat them. The list of venomous animals on Wikipedia needs some better organization, but it shows that you have all different kinds of animals: mammals, fish, reptiles, insects and arachnids, just about every kind of animal will have one that venomous. The actual process of having venom injected into you is called envenomation and that is not a word you want to see by "cause of death." Snakes tend to be be the most known venomous animals. Many know about rattlesnakes, cobras, and vipers. I would put spiders and scorpions as the runners up. Not just because they're venomous but also because they're creeping looking. Beyond those, I would imagine that many people don't think about other creatures being venomous, but be careful, because there are still quite a few you wouldn't think of.
Venom can be injected a number of ways. The most commonly thought of are fangs and stingers. This is probably because they just scream, "INJECTION!" They are designed to force venom into a victim in the most direct way possible. They are not the only ones. Many lizards, like the gila monster and the komoto dragon, have venomous saliva that they chew into their victims, saturating the wound with the toxins. Others, such as the male platypus, other mammals and many fish, have a spur or spine that either secretes or is covered in the venom and is then stab it into the victim. What is also interesting is that the creature can often choose whether to inject the venom or not. Wasps, apparently, do it every time. But snakes, particularly adult snakes will often bite without releasing the venom - as a way of warning off someone or something. This is why child or adolescent venomous creatures tend to be deadlier than their parents. Every situation is a dire one and so they will often inject as much venom as possible into everything that bothers them.
Granted, just because a creature can choose to inject venom doesn't mean it's worth the risk of getting bit. Venom can kill in so many different ways, and even the ones that don't kill can maim, blind, debilitate, or just flat out hurt like the devil. Some venom effect the blood, either causing it to clot and producing strokes or blockages, or letting it run freely which also causes problems. Often times venom contains a neuro-toxin which will interrupt the signals from the brain, often resulting in a victim muscles to seize up killing them by suffocation or cardiac arrest. What is truly interesting is that scientists can now deconstruct a creatures venom just from a DNA sample and use it to treat dangerous medical conditions. This article from National Geographic back in February talks about the research being done in venom studies and what potential cures are being discovered. It is a fascinating read and explains the strides being made much better than I can.
So, World War Wasp is still one, but I think their down to their last survivors. I'm just glad that I'm not allergic to wasp venom or that would be making my life very difficult right now.
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Blink and you might miss it
I recently finished readying Reilly's Luck by Louis L'Amour. I've read a fair number of L'Amours and even wrote book tests to test reading comprehension for a couple dozen of them when I was a junior high student. That includes two of his three "larger" novels: The Walking Drum and Last of the Breed. I went looking for The Haunted Mesa this last weekend but was unable to find it. So, I added a trio of his standard paperbacks to my book pile as a bit of a palate cleanser from all of the epic and high fantasy I've been doing lately. True to style, the book featured valiant heroes, evil villains and a couple of gun battles. It got me thinking about the often pictured "fast draw" and the way that L'Amour portrayed it.
There are plenty of L'Amour's books in audio formats and I've listened to my fair share of them. The last one, however, had an interview with him that was rather enlightening as far as the his understanding of gun-battles. He mentioned a showdown within his life time (I wish I could remember the details) where a marshal entered an establishment to apprehend a suspect and the man "went for his fun." In the end both men were dead having short each other multiple times and covering a distance of ten to twenty feet each. Even though they were being hit by bullets their adrenaline kept them moving and shooting. Many of L'Amour's books feature both people in a gunfight being hit with the winner of the fight the one who survives. The single shot duel to the death is unrealistic and, according to a number of sources, a creation of Hollywood. L'Amour's account also demonstrates what author and gun expert Larry Corriea says about handguns in his blog post on home defense. Handguns "poke holes in people." compared to long guns, pistols are not very effective at killing people. There are very few places you should shoot somebody with a pistol that will kill them quickly.
Competitive fast draw competitions (that is the non-lethal kind) have been going on since the 1950s with different clubs favoring speed or accuracy. The standard methods of testing and timing fast draw is either to use blanks and pop balloons or use wax bullets and a metal target. Different clubs have different rules, but from what I can see the Cowboy Fast Draw Association appears to be one of the largest. They use wax bullets and ask their competitors to dress in period clothing - which I think is appropriate as they focus on period firearms. While the "Wild, Wild West" is a creation of fiction, it's still an era with a look and a feel. The start position is with the hand on the gun, which to me only makes sense as if you know you're going to be in a fight you are going to be holding your gun. They use single action revolvers so the hammer has to be pulled back first before the trigger can be pulled. A double action pulls the hammer back on the first trigger pull and then drops it on the second. Interesting note, the Sig Sauer line of pistols often do not have a safety but a level that engages a double action trigger. This is why the line, "No safety on the Sig" shows up in the movie Red 2.
The way people draw looks rather odd. Many will crouch down, bending their holster leg quite a bit. This is so when they draw, they can straighten their leg which pulls the holster down limiting how far they have to lift the gun. The real fast shooters also fire from the hip which I imagine takes some practice in order to hit the target. This works well for single shots, but I would hate to have to fire a second from that position. The real impressive things is how fast these folks can react, draw, and fire. This video shows shooters with their times displayed.
Bear in mind that most people blink between .1 and .4 seconds which means that with most of these folks, you might literally miss their draw if you blink. That's kind of intimidating.
Granted, This guy didn't see Trinity coming when he got into this fight. But then unless you've seen They Call me Trinity, you'll never see him coming.
There are plenty of L'Amour's books in audio formats and I've listened to my fair share of them. The last one, however, had an interview with him that was rather enlightening as far as the his understanding of gun-battles. He mentioned a showdown within his life time (I wish I could remember the details) where a marshal entered an establishment to apprehend a suspect and the man "went for his fun." In the end both men were dead having short each other multiple times and covering a distance of ten to twenty feet each. Even though they were being hit by bullets their adrenaline kept them moving and shooting. Many of L'Amour's books feature both people in a gunfight being hit with the winner of the fight the one who survives. The single shot duel to the death is unrealistic and, according to a number of sources, a creation of Hollywood. L'Amour's account also demonstrates what author and gun expert Larry Corriea says about handguns in his blog post on home defense. Handguns "poke holes in people." compared to long guns, pistols are not very effective at killing people. There are very few places you should shoot somebody with a pistol that will kill them quickly.
Competitive fast draw competitions (that is the non-lethal kind) have been going on since the 1950s with different clubs favoring speed or accuracy. The standard methods of testing and timing fast draw is either to use blanks and pop balloons or use wax bullets and a metal target. Different clubs have different rules, but from what I can see the Cowboy Fast Draw Association appears to be one of the largest. They use wax bullets and ask their competitors to dress in period clothing - which I think is appropriate as they focus on period firearms. While the "Wild, Wild West" is a creation of fiction, it's still an era with a look and a feel. The start position is with the hand on the gun, which to me only makes sense as if you know you're going to be in a fight you are going to be holding your gun. They use single action revolvers so the hammer has to be pulled back first before the trigger can be pulled. A double action pulls the hammer back on the first trigger pull and then drops it on the second. Interesting note, the Sig Sauer line of pistols often do not have a safety but a level that engages a double action trigger. This is why the line, "No safety on the Sig" shows up in the movie Red 2.
The way people draw looks rather odd. Many will crouch down, bending their holster leg quite a bit. This is so when they draw, they can straighten their leg which pulls the holster down limiting how far they have to lift the gun. The real fast shooters also fire from the hip which I imagine takes some practice in order to hit the target. This works well for single shots, but I would hate to have to fire a second from that position. The real impressive things is how fast these folks can react, draw, and fire. This video shows shooters with their times displayed.
Bear in mind that most people blink between .1 and .4 seconds which means that with most of these folks, you might literally miss their draw if you blink. That's kind of intimidating.
Granted, This guy didn't see Trinity coming when he got into this fight. But then unless you've seen They Call me Trinity, you'll never see him coming.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Social Media - an unstoppable force
I was never the biggest Facebook user. Particularly after I found Twitter. Both of those waned when I became an active viewer on YouTube. And then I started a blog - and then I started another. I am no expert when it comes to social media and I am not sure it possible to be. Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his book The Black Swan discussed how anything that is socially oriented is subject to low probability, high impact events. I think that few could have even comprehended the impact of social media on our world, or the ebbs and flows of the different platforms. In short, social media has Veni, Vidi, Vici-ed itself into our world.
This Doonesbury comic is on of my favorites. I cut it out of the newspaper and put it on the door to my office. This was before I had a Twitter account (and might have even been before my Facebook page) so I could laugh at it without feeling like it related too much. In some ways, I feel that my life may reflect the character above - I try to keep to the deadlines that I've set for my blogs (Thursdays and Mondays) and get a little apprehensive when those deadlines start to approach and I don't have something ready for them. I've also learned that if I don't check Facebook I miss activities or events that are planned and discussed there. I'm got very mixed feelings about that.
First, I think it's interesting what social media has done for professional interactions and marketing. This is technically two things, so I'll muse on the interactions first in this paragraph. Just today, I listened to a podcast of Writing Excuses which talked about how to recover from professional mistakes, whether your own for someone else's. Howard Taylor mentioned the "eternal" nature of the internet. If you post something on the internet once there is no way to completely remove it. Like the proverbial stone after it's thrown, what you put online is out there and it will connect with something, sometime, and there is little you can do about it. I had an instance during college when someone posted something about me online. I was not a member of the social media community where this was posted and so didn't know anything about it until my roommate started asking me questions. When I asked why he explained about this post he read that sounded like me. He read me the post and sure enough, it was about me. After I got over my initial annoyance and anger (although my friend was more angry then me) I confronted the individual to simply say that he got his facts wrong. I almost burst out laughing when I called his attention to the post and he replied, "You read that? You weren't supposed to read that." I thought, "You put it on a public website with enough information that my roommate could identify all of the parties involved. Why would you think I wouldn't or couldn't read it." Social media hasn't changed. It is amazing what people can learn about you if you're not careful. There are plenty of things that will try to help you avoid social media faux pas so I won't dwell on it.
Social media marketing is the reason I got a twitter account. Robson Wells, author of Variant, Feedback, and the upcoming Blackout was offering a twitter exclusive. He was offering an advanced reader copy of his book as the prize in a drawing. You entered the drawing by tweeting about the book release. I didn't win, but he launched a second twitter drawing very shortly after. Every month until the release of his book Variant he would be conducting a drawing for a $25 gift card to Amazon. The eve of the release he would do a drawing for a new Kindle with five of his favorite young adult books already on it. You entered the drawing by pre-ordering a copy of the book. I decided that for $12 plus shipping and handling it was worth it. It turned out that I won the first drawing for the gift card so I came out about $10 ahead. Robson Wells is not the only one that has used social media to his advantage. I wouldn't have had a twitter account in time to find about about the contest - which required me to buy his book - if he hadn't given me incentive. Mix that with the ability for social media to "spread the word" about new (or established) business and you can effectively bypass all of the major gateways that have been previously the only entrances into successful enterprise. I mentioned the power of YouTube and new musicians in my last post on music.
Social Media is breaking down old walls, but it's also putting up new ones. In many ways it's dividing those that use it from those that don't. I mentioned how I have to check Facebook occasionally or I miss out on some of what's going on, even in my family. Also, things that happen online are not limited to just online. Just Google "What happens on Facebook stays on Facebook." You notice that it's only used to discuss the problems with social media. Not as a cliche or joke, but in all seriousness because there is no possible way for something to "stay on Facebook." There is no stopping it. So, check your privacy settings, guard your information, refer to your family sparingly and don't post while intoxicated and you might, just might avoid having your social media usage leap too far off the screen. As one warning voice mentioned, "If you're not paying for it you're not the customer. You're the product."
Social media marketing is the reason I got a twitter account. Robson Wells, author of Variant, Feedback, and the upcoming Blackout was offering a twitter exclusive. He was offering an advanced reader copy of his book as the prize in a drawing. You entered the drawing by tweeting about the book release. I didn't win, but he launched a second twitter drawing very shortly after. Every month until the release of his book Variant he would be conducting a drawing for a $25 gift card to Amazon. The eve of the release he would do a drawing for a new Kindle with five of his favorite young adult books already on it. You entered the drawing by pre-ordering a copy of the book. I decided that for $12 plus shipping and handling it was worth it. It turned out that I won the first drawing for the gift card so I came out about $10 ahead. Robson Wells is not the only one that has used social media to his advantage. I wouldn't have had a twitter account in time to find about about the contest - which required me to buy his book - if he hadn't given me incentive. Mix that with the ability for social media to "spread the word" about new (or established) business and you can effectively bypass all of the major gateways that have been previously the only entrances into successful enterprise. I mentioned the power of YouTube and new musicians in my last post on music.
Social Media is breaking down old walls, but it's also putting up new ones. In many ways it's dividing those that use it from those that don't. I mentioned how I have to check Facebook occasionally or I miss out on some of what's going on, even in my family. Also, things that happen online are not limited to just online. Just Google "What happens on Facebook stays on Facebook." You notice that it's only used to discuss the problems with social media. Not as a cliche or joke, but in all seriousness because there is no possible way for something to "stay on Facebook." There is no stopping it. So, check your privacy settings, guard your information, refer to your family sparingly and don't post while intoxicated and you might, just might avoid having your social media usage leap too far off the screen. As one warning voice mentioned, "If you're not paying for it you're not the customer. You're the product."
Thursday, September 12, 2013
I see the light!
Light is pretty cool. That is it is interesting and fascinating, not that it's temperature is particularly chilly. In fact, Archimedes was said to have made a weapon by concentrating light using mirrors. I've found references to others that have tried to recreate this trick including, the Mythbusters (twice) with mixed results. It has been demonstrated that it can be done, but if it was done is a question for history, not science. There have actually been two modern day occurrences that demonstrate the damage the sun can do when people aren't trying to deflagrate ancient warships. The first was in Las Vegas three years ago when a sunbather got more than he was looking for. The second was just last week when a man's car was parked in just the wrong spot and was exposed to 10 to 20 times the normal sunlight. Sixty Symbols on YouTube explains how it happens, as well as how a particular urban myth about Barbecuing pigeons got started.
Light also has the ability to travel really far distances. Even a small mirror can produce a flash that is visible for miles. My siblings and I all owned signal mirrors as kids capable of long range flashes and we took particular delight in finding new ways to direct the flashes. Light always reflects at the angle of impact (like the video explains), so the trick is just knowing how the light bounces. Interestingly enough, Derek, from Veritasium, explains how light is quantized. That is, it arrives in packets. As you back away from a light source the light appears to get dimmer and dimmer until your eyes can't pick it up anymore. But with sesitive enough eyes the sun would not truly go out, but would flicker. That's because the packets are having to cover a larger and larger area as they get further and further away form the source. Derek describes it much better - check out his video.
Now that I've looked at light, perhaps I should look at darkness. Does anybody know the speak of dark?
Light also has the ability to travel really far distances. Even a small mirror can produce a flash that is visible for miles. My siblings and I all owned signal mirrors as kids capable of long range flashes and we took particular delight in finding new ways to direct the flashes. Light always reflects at the angle of impact (like the video explains), so the trick is just knowing how the light bounces. Interestingly enough, Derek, from Veritasium, explains how light is quantized. That is, it arrives in packets. As you back away from a light source the light appears to get dimmer and dimmer until your eyes can't pick it up anymore. But with sesitive enough eyes the sun would not truly go out, but would flicker. That's because the packets are having to cover a larger and larger area as they get further and further away form the source. Derek describes it much better - check out his video.
Now that I've looked at light, perhaps I should look at darkness. Does anybody know the speak of dark?
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Building a network
I was in a conference once and the presenter asked, "What do you think of when you hear the word 'Network'?" I spoke up and said, "LAN party." I got a few laughs and the presenter moved the discussion to what is often referred to social or business networking. I've heard people respond to the term networking with fear, trepidation, and even a little hostility. I can understand this mindset and at the same time I struggle with it. My wife would say it's because I'm more of a people person, and I don't think I can disagree.
My first experience with the term "networking" was at a two day training meeting with a company I didn't really like. In the end I was only with them a whopping three months. We finished at 11 am the second day, but they said they were going to have a "networking session" and that we should stick around for it. I skipped out and went to lunch with my father. It took me a while to realize that what they met by networking was to walk around and talk to people. To me that isn't effective networking, that's a room full of awkward conversation where everybody is thinking, "This person is meeting me to further their career." If I ever wanted people to network I wouldn't do it by saying, "We're going to network now! GO!" It kind of kills it.
My second experience with networking was doing an employment workshop with LDS employment services. Quick plug - The two day workshop I attended is one of the most useful things I ever did when it comes to finding new jobs and being competitive for them. If you need help - check out your local center. Anyway, they talked about identifying your network to help find potential employment. I liked looking at that a lot more than "building" my network. This use of networking is a common practice and is arguably one of the most effective ways to find jobs. I feel that if done well, this kind of use is a great way to use your network while not abusing the people that make it up.
To me networking is simply making new friends. I don't call it networking and don't like to think that I'm building a network. I prefer to meet knew people, trade ideas, learn new things, and help others when I can. I've worked in a variety of offices now and feel that those previous colleagues are now part of my professional network, but really they're just good friends who I know from work. Some of those have also become friends that I see outside of work. Some are only colleagues. I once interviewed for a job and even though I didn't get it, I came away from it with a good relationship with someone. Yes, I am glad to have someone who I can consider a friend in an office I would like to work in, but I didn't make the friendship with that intent in mind. I've used other opportunities to meet people and make friends at conferences and training meetings that I know could help me if I was looking to move in their direction, but the way to successfully "network" is identify it when you need it, not seek to build it as you meet people.
The Arbinger Institute wrote two books that discuss why "building" a network doesn't really work. While network is not the actual topic of the books, they discuss how it is possible to treat someone as something other than a person. Prior to reading the books (Leadership and Self-Deception and The Anatomy of Peace) I didn't think that I treated people as objects. I didn't put papers on their head or walk into them. But then I had a student come into my office at five minutes to quitting time with a complicated problem that only I could fix and needed to fix as soon possible. The student was no longer a person - they were a nuisance, an obstacle to by long weekend, someTHING between me and getting out of the office. Luckly, I was able to notice this and pulled my feelings in and was able to help them in the best possible way for them. The reason I bring this up? People can tell when you see them as a person and when you see them as something else. So if you're talking to people just to "build your network" you might not have much success. People will know that you're just talking to them to get something from them and it will hamper your communication and their willingness to help you.
So, my advice when it comes to networking? Build yourself a Local Area Network (LAN) and make some friends playing games.
My first experience with the term "networking" was at a two day training meeting with a company I didn't really like. In the end I was only with them a whopping three months. We finished at 11 am the second day, but they said they were going to have a "networking session" and that we should stick around for it. I skipped out and went to lunch with my father. It took me a while to realize that what they met by networking was to walk around and talk to people. To me that isn't effective networking, that's a room full of awkward conversation where everybody is thinking, "This person is meeting me to further their career." If I ever wanted people to network I wouldn't do it by saying, "We're going to network now! GO!" It kind of kills it.
My second experience with networking was doing an employment workshop with LDS employment services. Quick plug - The two day workshop I attended is one of the most useful things I ever did when it comes to finding new jobs and being competitive for them. If you need help - check out your local center. Anyway, they talked about identifying your network to help find potential employment. I liked looking at that a lot more than "building" my network. This use of networking is a common practice and is arguably one of the most effective ways to find jobs. I feel that if done well, this kind of use is a great way to use your network while not abusing the people that make it up.
To me networking is simply making new friends. I don't call it networking and don't like to think that I'm building a network. I prefer to meet knew people, trade ideas, learn new things, and help others when I can. I've worked in a variety of offices now and feel that those previous colleagues are now part of my professional network, but really they're just good friends who I know from work. Some of those have also become friends that I see outside of work. Some are only colleagues. I once interviewed for a job and even though I didn't get it, I came away from it with a good relationship with someone. Yes, I am glad to have someone who I can consider a friend in an office I would like to work in, but I didn't make the friendship with that intent in mind. I've used other opportunities to meet people and make friends at conferences and training meetings that I know could help me if I was looking to move in their direction, but the way to successfully "network" is identify it when you need it, not seek to build it as you meet people.
The Arbinger Institute wrote two books that discuss why "building" a network doesn't really work. While network is not the actual topic of the books, they discuss how it is possible to treat someone as something other than a person. Prior to reading the books (Leadership and Self-Deception and The Anatomy of Peace) I didn't think that I treated people as objects. I didn't put papers on their head or walk into them. But then I had a student come into my office at five minutes to quitting time with a complicated problem that only I could fix and needed to fix as soon possible. The student was no longer a person - they were a nuisance, an obstacle to by long weekend, someTHING between me and getting out of the office. Luckly, I was able to notice this and pulled my feelings in and was able to help them in the best possible way for them. The reason I bring this up? People can tell when you see them as a person and when you see them as something else. So if you're talking to people just to "build your network" you might not have much success. People will know that you're just talking to them to get something from them and it will hamper your communication and their willingness to help you.
So, my advice when it comes to networking? Build yourself a Local Area Network (LAN) and make some friends playing games.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
The Green Flash and other phenomenon
Brady Haran, YouTuber extraordinaire, recently returned from a trip to the European Southern Observatory in Chile. He talks about all six days on his blog, so I won't mentioned everything he did. But I did watch the first video he posted from there on his channel Deep Sky Videos - The Green Flash!
I have to confess that I did not know that there was a actual green flash phenomenon. I thought it was something created by Disney for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Turns out that it's real and it makes a lot of sense when you think about it. As the sun approaches the horizon it has to pass through more atmosphere. This added air acts like a lens that distorts the light. Consequently it creates an illusion of the edge of the sun separating and turning green. I dug around and found a good resource on green flashes by Andrew Young. It's really a cool thing that I would love to see it for myself.
Learning about the green flash got me thinking about other natural phenomenon. St. Elmo's fire came next to mind.
Returning to the sun for a minute, I've heard of Sundogs before and even seen them and so wanted to make mention of them here.
Similar to an after effect of a lens flare, sundogs are the result of when light from the sun is broken up by before it gets to your eye. In a lens flare the light source is scattered as it passes through the lens. With sundogs the light is split by ice crystals in the air. The reason why sundogs don't show up every time it's cold enough for ice to form is that the crystals must be aligned so as to be horizontal to the viewing angle. Because of the specificity of the crystals, it produces a very distinct effect, two (or sometimes more) "phantom suns" that are equal distances from the sun. The same crystals also can form a halo around the sun in the same fashion. Again, this phenomenon generally occurs when the sun is near the horizon. The website Atmospheric Optics has some excellent photos and explanations about different visual phenomenon.
While rarely a mystery, I want to mention the Aurora borealis and Aurora australis. The northern (and southern) lights are a result of solar radiation hitting the upper atmosphere. They can be a variety of colors and are a common subject of photos. They've been studies extensively and there is lots of information you can find about them. I mention them here because I actually had a chance to see the lights while at my parents house in northern Utah. They were a faint green glow in the northeast sky, but while not being spectacular it was a great novelty. I don't have a bucket list, but if I did "see the northern lights" would have been on it.
I'll end with an occurrence that I've seen a time or two and, like the green flash, is due to the atmosphere. There are all kinds of things that can make the moon look different colors, including particles in the air (from fires, industry, etc), as well as the moon's light coming through thick layers of atmosphere (such as moon rise and moon set). I had to share this from Wiki Answers as I was doing research on this - The answer someone's question of "Why is the moon red?" Answer: "It is NOT." I've never considered Wiki Answers as credible research - Now I really don't trust them. The most established change in the moon's color is during a lunar eclipse. Red moons come from sun light reflecting off of the moon and shining through the Earth's shadow. Earth's shadow has a reddish tint to it because our atmosphere bends light around it, the red light being the most penetrating and thus infusing the shadow while the blues and greens (and other hues) scatter out. So that is why during a lunar eclipse the moon will look red. I like this description from NASA about what it would look like if you were in a spaceship in the shadow of the Earth...
I have to confess that I did not know that there was a actual green flash phenomenon. I thought it was something created by Disney for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Turns out that it's real and it makes a lot of sense when you think about it. As the sun approaches the horizon it has to pass through more atmosphere. This added air acts like a lens that distorts the light. Consequently it creates an illusion of the edge of the sun separating and turning green. I dug around and found a good resource on green flashes by Andrew Young. It's really a cool thing that I would love to see it for myself.
Learning about the green flash got me thinking about other natural phenomenon. St. Elmo's fire came next to mind.
I first heard about it from watching a version of Moby Dick.The teacher explained that the crazy blue fire on the mast wasn't magic but rather a natural occurrence. Similar to light night it is when air is ionized during a storm (often at the end of it). It tends to collect on surfaces that discharge easily - pointed objects being a chief culprit. A perfect example of how the process works is a neon light. They both operate under the same principles of ionization. The cool thing is that ionized air is basically a plasma. And if you remember my post on the states of matter you know that plasmas are really cool. So, if it looks like your plane is burning on the wings, you might be looking at the slowest lightning you can see.
Lightning is also a pretty cool occurrence when you really think about it. I won't look too closely at it, but I will link to KXCD's blog when he answered a whole bunch of questions about it. I will also share an awesome video that you may or may not have seen before. (filmed by Tom A. Warner)
While rarely a mystery, I want to mention the Aurora borealis and Aurora australis. The northern (and southern) lights are a result of solar radiation hitting the upper atmosphere. They can be a variety of colors and are a common subject of photos. They've been studies extensively and there is lots of information you can find about them. I mention them here because I actually had a chance to see the lights while at my parents house in northern Utah. They were a faint green glow in the northeast sky, but while not being spectacular it was a great novelty. I don't have a bucket list, but if I did "see the northern lights" would have been on it.
I'll end with an occurrence that I've seen a time or two and, like the green flash, is due to the atmosphere. There are all kinds of things that can make the moon look different colors, including particles in the air (from fires, industry, etc), as well as the moon's light coming through thick layers of atmosphere (such as moon rise and moon set). I had to share this from Wiki Answers as I was doing research on this - The answer someone's question of "Why is the moon red?" Answer: "It is NOT." I've never considered Wiki Answers as credible research - Now I really don't trust them. The most established change in the moon's color is during a lunar eclipse. Red moons come from sun light reflecting off of the moon and shining through the Earth's shadow. Earth's shadow has a reddish tint to it because our atmosphere bends light around it, the red light being the most penetrating and thus infusing the shadow while the blues and greens (and other hues) scatter out. So that is why during a lunar eclipse the moon will look red. I like this description from NASA about what it would look like if you were in a spaceship in the shadow of the Earth...
The view from your cockpit window is Earth's nightside, the dark half of our planet opposite the sun. But it's not completely dark! All around Earth's limb, the atmosphere glows red. What you're seeing is every sunrise and sunset on Earth -- all at once. This ring of light shines into Earth's shadow, breaking the utter darkness you might expect to find there. Turn off the cockpit lights. There's a lovely red glow.Rather poetic don't you think?
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