As promised, we’ll be discussing PrettyNerd‘s decision to increase her prices. PrettyNerd has played piano for fourteen years, and has given private lessons for over a year. Each time she’s started teaching a new client, I’ve tried to convince her that she’s undervaluing her service. Continued…
Case Study: Piano Instructor
I’ve watched as PrettyNerd has gone from piano student to piano instructor. Without knowing it, she started her side business in the most straightforward way possible, paralleling what Ramit, J.D., and others suggest.
PrettyNerd has played piano for fourteen years, and started giving private lessons a bit over a year ago. Continued…
Posted in Case Studies.
– December 23, 2010
Physics of the Impossible
I love Christmas break; it gives me a chance to step back and engage my imagination. Creative powers seem underused in my engineering education, but vacations in Arkansas give me time to dream, and to read. I hope you enjoy the latest book review!
Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku provides a reasonable overview of the science that might someday make common science fiction themes possible in real life. An easy read that doesn’t pay justice to the complexities of the underlying theories, it nevertheless provides a conceptual summary that might point students aspiring to research in these areas in the general direction.
![Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration Into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel  [PHYSICS OF THE IMPOSSIBLE] [Hardcover]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41rIp8Mew3L.jpg)
Taken in its entirety, this book subtly teaches things that many young scientists and engineers don’t understand. Continued…
Posted in Commentary.
– December 21, 2010
Purpose and Contribution
If I have learned anything from my involvement in the Drexel Smart House (DSH), it’s that everybody needs a purpose, their slice of the pie, the way in which they contribute to their community’s betterment.*
An individual’s purpose was once easily identified: warriors, hunters, farmers, Continued…
Posted in Wisdom & Life.
– December 16, 2010
Business Development as a Form of Evolution
One of my favorite insights from The Beak of the Finch relates to business development and the life cycle of a business in evolutionary terms. Continued…
Posted in Ramblin' Thoughts.
– December 8, 2010
Insight into Academia
How many of you struggle with scientific research? Do you know why?
The premise of research is a search for knowledge, for understanding of the world around us and within ourselves. Researchers are curious, imaginative, creative; they love to learn and explore and discover; they love to solve problems and share their work and collaborate to tackle ever-bigger challenges. I am a researcher.
However, researchers must also understand the infrastructure of the science and engineering enterprise: Continued…
Posted in Ramblin' Thoughts.
– December 7, 2010
Financial Motivation Businesses – Universities
After five years of post-secondary schooling with more on the horizon, college seems to be less about teaching per se and more about helping students prioritize their learning. Call it financial motivation.
Posted in Ramblin' Thoughts.
– December 6, 2010
Speaking Your Mind
As anyone who knows me well can tell you, I highly encourage openly speaking your mind. If you have a question, ask it; if you have an opinion on something, voice it. Whether you’re a student in a classroom, a halftime hacker, a wanna-be rockstar, or an ambitious poli sci student on internship, if you don’t speak up, you can’t contribute. But if you do, you can make a difference, if just in small ways at first.
Posted in Ramblin' Thoughts.
– December 5, 2010
The Beak of the Finch
If you haven’t read The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time you need to put it on your reading list. Immediately. Do it over your holiday break. Then come back and share your thoughts and insights.
I was going to write a long post reflecting on the wonders contained within, but decided against giving all the secrets away. However, I will say that it’s an amazing book that discusses life in terms of evolutionary biology. The main theme is “evolution in action,” viewed through the eyes of a research team that spent decades rigorously observing and meticulously recording the lives of finches on the Galapagos Islands. From chronicling the minute changes, such as a small percentage change in beak depth, for instance, roughly 0.5 mm, they watched as some birds lived and some died. The effects were seen immediately in the next generation, as the birds took after the survivors.
I couldn’t help myself; I summarized those points that really stuck with me below. Spoiler alert!
Posted in Commentary.
– December 5, 2010
Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us
I stumbled across this article a few weeks back, and I can’t stop thinking about it. Watch all 10 minutes; this video is worth it. But if you really can’t spare the time, I’ve summarized the points below (transcripted it). The book is next on my reading list.
Continued…
Posted in Commentary.
2 comments
By codyaray – December 22, 2010