Posts tagged education
At the End of the 00s, A Personal Lookback
Dec 31st
Traditionally, the end of the year is a time for reflection about what you’ve accomplished during the past year and a chance to set goals for the coming year. I don’t often post end-of-year reviews, but since today, December 31, 2009, marks the end of not only the year 2009, but also the end of the first 10 years of the 2000s — the end of the 00s — I wanted to at least say something.
On a larger scale, the last 10 years essentially started with the tragedy of 9/11 and ended with a recession. That’s a little depressing, but the positive side is that the next decade can’t help but be better. I hope.
So on a personal level, here are a few highlights from the past 10 years:
Old Friends New Friends
The “coming of age” of social media brought many opportunities for folks to reconnect with old friends and make new ones. I have really enjoyed getting in touch with people via Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, to name a few. I’ve even met people via my website, which is a really neat experience. I believe that the internet and network technologies allow people to become closer to each other, to share common interests, and to learn new perspectives and ideas. There are still some kinks left to work out, such as issues of copyright law with new digital products, or the lack of broadband penetration in the US, but in this past decade we really saw people coming around to appreciating the internet and using it to enrich their lives. Certainly I’ve enjoyed the ride so far.
Travel
I love to travel (but not to go through airports), and over the last 10 years I went to some neat places, including Milan, several towns and villages in southern England, Toronto, Iceland, and Amsterdam. I also got to take my first cruise, to the Caribbean. Within the states, notable visits include Los Angeles, New York, and Hawaii. In hindsight I guess that’s not a lot of travel if you spread it out over 10 years, but it was a lot of fun.
Going for the Brass Ring
After about 10 years of engineering work in industry, I decided to go back to school to complete a PhD. Of course, as many pointed out at the time, this was a rather foolish and difficult undertaking, for many reasons. Faculty jobs are very hard to get, especially if you only want a job in a specific geographic region. In fact, according to a recent Wall Street journal article, in 1960 about 75% of college instructors were full-time tenured or tenure-track professors, but today only about 27% are. Colleges and universities are opting to hire gaggles of adjunct professors rather than one or two tenured faculty members.
“When a tenure-track position is empty,” says Gwendolyn Bradley, director of communications at the American Association of University Professors, “institutions are choosing to hire three part-timers to save money.”
Another issue is that the pay in academia is way below industry pay scales, even for tenure-track positions. And given the faculty job requirements of teaching, service, and research, the $/hour tradeoff is even worse.
Moreover, folks warned me about the “half-life” of knowledge, especially regarding mathematics, that I would encounter since I had been out of school for so many years. Indeed, most grad students I ended up going to school with had no gap between their undergraduate and graduate courses — they only had to look at their last semester’s notes on “p-values” and “eigen-decomposition” in order to solve the homework problems, whereas I had to try to remember things from 10-years prior and that I had never had a reason to use during my industry work. The reality of “use it or lose it” made re-learning things everyone else took for granted a little challenging and a necessity for me.
The why-am-I-doing-this difficulties were compounded because I was, in part, funding my grad school effort by keeping my industry job — i.e., working and going to school at the same time — while also dealing with a 300-mile (yes, you read that right) commute. The grad students I was in class with, for the most part, did not also have a family, did not also have an industry job, and just had to commute from an apartment or dorm across campus. Needless to say, this made me question my decision to go back to school every single day it took me to complete my degree. I will note, however, that finally getting that PhD was one of the most satisfying goals I’ve ever achieved.
Health and Fitness
Note that the above ordeal left me quite depleted, stressed, and unhealthy. Add this to the fact that this past decade saw me leave my bullet-proof years in terms of health and fitness. Rather, I seem to have moved into the “ouch, oh, I guess things can break” phase of my life. Thus, I realized that I needed to take a more agressive approach to my health and fitness levels. After a lot of research, I’ve found the best way to stay in shape is through the vigorous application of kettlebells. I supplement my kettlebell usage with the TRX, running, and body-weight exercises, but really, you don’t need anything more than a cannonball with a handle.
On to the Next Decade
What will the next decade bring? I’ve got some ideas for what I want to do, and they center on the maxims of 1.) never stop challenging yourself, 2.) always value family and friends, and 3.) be productive.
So, stay tuned…
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12 Great Gift Ideas
Dec 3rd
Let’s face it. We want to pick out gifts that are meaningful, cool, intelligent, and interesting, yet there is only so much time in which to shop and choose. So below is a list of 12 gifts from which you should be able to pick that awesome gift for your significant other, family member, friend, or self. These are items that I have tested during the last year, so when I make these recommendations it is based on my happiness with the quality, value, and experience with each product.
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Amazon Kindle
This is the number one electronic gift for this season. If you want a smaller size, go for the Kindle 2 (my review). If you want a larger size, choose the Kindle DX (my review).
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tie or scarf from Mountain and Sackett
Established in 1957, Mountain and Sackett offers some of the best values in handmade ties and scarves. They choose the best fabrics from the best mills around the world, such as the finest English and Italian silks and wools, and then hand-make them for you. They even offer a line of ties and scarves where 60% of the sales are donated directly to Autism Speaks, a charity dedicated to aiding Autism. -
iPod Touch
So unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know the Apple iPhone and Apple iPod Touch
have been the hottest devices around for a while now.
I chose the Apple iPod Touch
But I love the iPod Touch
Though I’ve been using it for a while, here’s my initial review of the iPod Touch
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Fujitsu ScanSnap Scanner
I can only say that this scanner has been a real help in eliminating paper waste and aiding my productivity. For example, I often have a lot of paperwork that needs signing and then sending to another third party. With the ScanSnap Sheet-Fed Scanner
, I can simply sign the document, scan it in with the scanner, then email it to the intended recipient.
Moreover, after using this product for quite a while now, I’ve found that its small footprint allows it to be easily carried from one place to another and setup in a new location — i.e., it is small enough to be plopped into my book-bag, carried to another location, then setup and used without any delays or hassles.
Here is a link to my initial review of the Fujitsu ScanSnap scanner.
So resolve to eliminate paper clutter — simplify your life and your workflow.
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Gymboss Interval Timer
For such an inexpensive timer, I’ve been really impressed. I use this timer in just about every workout. It is really handy when doing interval workouts, timed sprints, or any activity where you need to count off the time with an audible increment.
For example, I may set the timer to chime once per minute for twelve minutes. Then I can do my workout pace of 20 kettlebell swings per minute, without having to watch the clock or count the time — I do my 20 swings, then rest until the alarm sounds. Rinse, repeat. This is one of the best cardio and strength workouts around (see below for my kettlebell recommendation).
But back to timers — it’s simple to use, and is small, functional, and robust — what more could you want from a timer? You can pick them up as stocking stuffers from the Gymboss website (and my review)
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AccuSharp Knife Sharpener
Unless you have specific knife sharpening needs, you can likely just forget about those expensive, complicated knife sharpeners and oilstones. The simple, and cheap, AccuSharp Knife Sharpener
will be the only knife sharpener you will need. Trivial to use, lightweight, easy to store — this is the best knife sharpener worth many more times its price.
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Kettlebell
One of the best ways I’ve found to get in shape, get strong, and ramp up the cardio capacity is to use kettlebells. Ya, take a look at the pic — it’s basically a cannonball with a handle. But this one piece of iron will replace a gym’s worth of fancy expensive equipment.
There are a lot of poor-quality kettlebells out there, so I would suggest you buy your kettlebell from the Dragondoor site — their kettlebells may be a little more expensive than other brand kettlebells, but the Dragondoor kettlebells are the gold standard, and the quality in the product will be worth more in the long term than any of the other inferior and more inexpensive kettlebell offerings by third parties. For example, I’ve used other brands of kettlebells that just shred your hands because of their poor-quality finish.
Which kettlebell to get? If you are a guy and in reasonable shape I might suggest starting with a 16KG kettlebell. Females who are in reasonable shape should probably start with a 12KG kettlebell. Note: meet with an RKC (see discussion below) to be sure though, since people often try to start with a heavier weight than they are capable of handling safely.
Along with your kettlebell, I would suggest you get the book Enter the Kettlebell! Strength Secrets of the Soviet Supermen
. This book will show you some basic exercises with the kettlebell and gives you exercise programs you can follow, along with lots of helpful advice.
If you don’t learn well from books, and especially if you plan on moving up in weight, I would really recommend meeting with a certified instructor (RKC) to help you with your form. Here’s an article I wrote about my experience meeting with an RKC, and how it really helped me.
But if you can learn to use the kettlebell appropriately, then you have a lifetime of fitness gains and health ahead of you.
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Flip UltraHD Camcorder
So I’ve been using this Flip UltraHD Camcorder
for about six months now, and I’ve been really happy with it. This camcorder is easy to carry and easy to use — taking video and editing it on the computer (Apple — see below recommendation) is almost trivial, and uploading the resulting videos to YouTube or a website is very easy.
I am no video expert, but just by pointing and clicking I’ve been able to create high definition videos of those events I would like to remember. As an example, here is a sample video I recently shot with the Flip UltraHD
High Definition is where it’s at these days, and the Flip UltraHD
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Vibram Five Fingers
If you want to really strengthen your lower legs and feet, want a solid shoe for weight lifting, running, and cross-training, want to learn to run with a natural stride, or simply like to walk barefoot without having to worry about stepping on ouchy things, then you might want to consider getting a pair of Vibram FiveFingers shoes.
You may already have shoes or boots with Vibram soles, but Vibram also makes a line of shoes designed to allow the benefits and freedom of barefoot training without having to worry about the hazards of being barefoot (I’ve commented before on the benefits of barefoot running and the use of Vibrams).
I have really enjoyed the Fivefingers KSO model
. This version tends to Keep Stuff Out of your shoe when running outside, and the Velcro strap helps keep the shoe snug during a variety of activities.
Note that you *will* get asked about your shoes if your significant other allows you to wear these in public.
Oh, and if you want to wear your Vibrams during the winter, you may want to get these toe socks
.
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Shop Class as Soulcraft
For those who are searching for what it is they really want to do with their lives, their life’s ambition is likely something other than working for someone else out of a cubicle. Sometimes we end up in jobs not because it’s what we *want* to do, but because we *can* do it, and so continue on, though perhaps we are never quite happy because our true calling is never satisfied.
In Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work
, Matthew Crawford takes us on an introspective journey into not only what it means to quit one career in order to do what it is you really want to do with your life, but the book also re-examines the benefits and satisfactions from manual labor.
This is sometimes a philosophical journey, ala the classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values
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Apple Macbook Pro
Starting in 1986 I was a dedicated PC user, and put up with Windows because that was all I knew. But in 2004 I noticed that all my computer science security professors had Macs. Hmmm. So when my PC laptop died, I took that opportunity to switch to an Apple laptop, and I’ve never been happier with my computing choice.
Most recently I’ve been using the new Apple MacBook Pro
with Mac OS X v10.6 Snow Leopard Operating System. The laptop itself is very rugged, built from a single block of aluminum. It also has a 7 hour battery, a beautiful, crisp screen, a multi-touch trackpad, a 500GB hard drive (I upgraded the drive), and the solid Snow Leopard Operating System.
You may pay a little more upfront than a similarly-configured PC, but you will more than make up for the difference in cost through increased productivity, decreased maintenance, hassle, and time-wasted costs, and increased satisfaction with your computing environment.
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Amazon Gift Card
Finally, if you can’t find anything from the above list of items, then you could always just get an Amazon Gift Card, and let the recipient buy whatever it is they want. Who would be disappointed to receive an Amazon Gift Card?
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Assessing quality of life, neighborhood walkability, and other population factors and statistics
Aug 4th
There are a number of tools that have become available recently that overlay population features on top of geographic maps (thanks NumbersGuy). The data is from government surveys, crime logs, census logs, etc., and have been available for a very long time. However, by adding the geographic component and a web interface, the data is suddenly much more accessible and useful, especially to the individual.
For example, are you going to buy a new home and want to check out neighborhoods for various factors, such as crime, income, education opportunities, neighborhood walkability, etc.? Or are you interested in checking out your current neighborhood? Do you want to open a business and so want to target specific markets?
Below are a number of online tools that you may help you answer these questions:
- SpotCrime: shows crime statistics for a given address
- PolicyMap: shows census, real estate analysis, crime, mortgage origination, education, income, demographic, job, energy, and other statistics
- Walk Score: rates a given address on its walkability – a measure of the quality of life around a given address when walking
- Criminal Searches: search a given neighborhood or even people for crimes and offences.
As the first of several examples, here is an image of the distribution of household incomes around VCU in the year 2000, using the PolicyMap service. The free version unfortunately only gives access to old data (e.g., year 2000 for incomes), and the resolution is a little course (does not give block-by-block resolution), but you still can see overall trends. In the figure, the regions shaded with the darker colors indicate higher median household incomes.
The image below, from SpotCrime, shows the various crimes that were reported and logged by police from March 4, 2008 to May 4, 2008 around VCU. The different icons indicate different types of crimes, such as assaults, thefts, arson, arrests, robbery, burglary, vandalism, etc. While the number of crimes over just a two month period might seem high, VCU is an urban university in the middle of a low-income part of town (see previous median income image) with a dense population, so some amount of crime is unfortunately probably to be expected without better enforcement and more security.
Finally, on the bright side, VCU does appear to be a neighborhood that is quite walkable, as seen in the following graphic, where WalkScore gives VCU a walkability score of 88 out of 100, where 100 is the best walkability score you can get. Each icon represents a grocery store, restaurant, coffee shop, bar, movie theatre, school, park, library, bookstore, fitness center, drug store, etc., that are good to have within walking distance – the more of these establishments there are, the higher the walkability score.
