For some time I've railed against standard tests and their purpose. Having a daughter with ADD (or something - I think that's a simplification too,) I learned that human intelligence is an incredibly complex subject. We test people in ways convenient for the test maker. That leads me to suspicion that the test taker may be given short shrift.
This morning I coined a phrase I thought worthy of recording here.
"Tests attempt to digest complexity for consumption by the simple."
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Saturday, August 09, 2008
A horribly broken FCC SLD
I've attempted to help a poor inner-city Catholic school for several years. This is the grade school where my deceased father-in-law went. My contributions related to IT services. Many times my company billed for those services. Many times we didn't. But my personal contribution was applying for subsidies offered by the FCC's Universal Service Fund for Schools and Libraries.
Never has there been a labyrinthine government program that abused its intended beneficiaries the way this program abuses poor schools. I have pounds of paperwork in files I'd rather shred - but hold onto out of a sick desire to recall just how bad this program is.
In fairness, I'm sure my disregard for this program is naive. Most government programs are probably worse. FEMA comes to mind in the Hurricane Katrina debacle. But most abused must be welfare clients. Fortunately, I have dodged becoming a client of those services so far.
After years of dealing with a certification, application, payment and validation system inspired by the Marquee de Sade, I finally decided I had had enough and opted out. My brief note of regret to be leaving the program generated an automated reply that I couldn't be released until I asked in the right way!
So I called up the always polite support persons that handle this sort of thing, was directed to the right form, completed it (or so I thought) properly, and faxed it over. I was greeted this week with a resignation rejection letter!! They weren't going to allow me to leave their program until I submitted additional language that they required me to include, verbatim, in my request to leave:
1. Give your stupid paperwork to your mother. See if she can figure it out. Most principals at small schools are dedicated women who have way to much to do. They are of above average intelligence, but this program is inscrutable! to even the most accomplished of government paperwork pushing savants. If your mother can't do it neither can they.
2. Do a quick survey: find 10 local schools that have an obvious need for the subsidies promised by this program. Look up in your database if they are participating. I predict that most won't be. Of those that are, examine what they are paying for voice and data services. I predict it will be 30% to 50% higher than normal. Why? Because the vendors who have to wade through your program's maze of requirements, filings, certifications and rules are doing what they can to compensate themselves for the agony they must endure to provide services under this system.
My suggestion to the FCC: Write checks to the poorest of poor schools without any application process or hoop-jumping by their beleaguered administration. Give them $50 for each phone line and $200 for Internet service. OK, make them send you a copy of one of their phone bills. (Don't even bother with the bill for the Internet.)
I don't think too many Catholic schools are going to rip you off for the $400/mo you send them to rescue poor kids from the despairing circumstances most of them live in.
Never has there been a labyrinthine government program that abused its intended beneficiaries the way this program abuses poor schools. I have pounds of paperwork in files I'd rather shred - but hold onto out of a sick desire to recall just how bad this program is.
In fairness, I'm sure my disregard for this program is naive. Most government programs are probably worse. FEMA comes to mind in the Hurricane Katrina debacle. But most abused must be welfare clients. Fortunately, I have dodged becoming a client of those services so far.
After years of dealing with a certification, application, payment and validation system inspired by the Marquee de Sade, I finally decided I had had enough and opted out. My brief note of regret to be leaving the program generated an automated reply that I couldn't be released until I asked in the right way!
So I called up the always polite support persons that handle this sort of thing, was directed to the right form, completed it (or so I thought) properly, and faxed it over. I was greeted this week with a resignation rejection letter!! They weren't going to allow me to leave their program until I submitted additional language that they required me to include, verbatim, in my request to leave:
We have received your request to revise your Service Provider Identification Number (SPIN). We are unable to process your application for the following reason(s):In another follow-up call I challenged the always polite staff at the FCC to the following simple tasks:
- Certification Letter is incorrect (Certification Statement is missing). This paragraph must appear exactly word for word on the certification letter. Please see Form 498 Instructions, Page 20, Attachment B, for the exact format and precise wording required for this document.
1. Give your stupid paperwork to your mother. See if she can figure it out. Most principals at small schools are dedicated women who have way to much to do. They are of above average intelligence, but this program is inscrutable! to even the most accomplished of government paperwork pushing savants. If your mother can't do it neither can they.
2. Do a quick survey: find 10 local schools that have an obvious need for the subsidies promised by this program. Look up in your database if they are participating. I predict that most won't be. Of those that are, examine what they are paying for voice and data services. I predict it will be 30% to 50% higher than normal. Why? Because the vendors who have to wade through your program's maze of requirements, filings, certifications and rules are doing what they can to compensate themselves for the agony they must endure to provide services under this system.
My suggestion to the FCC: Write checks to the poorest of poor schools without any application process or hoop-jumping by their beleaguered administration. Give them $50 for each phone line and $200 for Internet service. OK, make them send you a copy of one of their phone bills. (Don't even bother with the bill for the Internet.)
I don't think too many Catholic schools are going to rip you off for the $400/mo you send them to rescue poor kids from the despairing circumstances most of them live in.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Awesome pics from CERN
The ambition of a planet to understand nature exemplified in pictures: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/08/the_large_hadron_collider.html
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Try Free Software for Free
I've been in the computer business for over 30 years. Software was included free with hardware in the early days . . . but a PC that didn't have the processing power of a video game was $4000. Today PCs are practically free and software, especially from Microsoft, is getting more expensive. In fact, you can easily buy a PC that is suitable for your business for less than $400, but the Microsoft Office software that most businesses want is at least $450.
Over the past ten years a growing number of programmers have been creating and distributing free software that anyone can use for free. Before you accuse me of being redundant in the use of the word: free, allow me to explain what free means.
In our language, the word free can mean two things: free as in free beer and free as in freedom. The free software movement aims to do both. For them the freedom part is the most important. They give away their software but also give away the programming 'secrets' that allow anyone who cares to see how they did what they did. More importantly, anyone who wants to can work on the program to make it better. This has turned out to be a very successful way to get lots of people to work on programs that just keep getting better and better and remain free as in free beer.
Big companies have joined the movement: IBM, Google, Yahoo and lots of others – including my company. We make a small business file server using free software.
You can try free software for free too. Many people know about Firefox: the Internet browser that is faster and more secure than Microsoft's Internet Explorer. You can download it for free from Firefox.com. I recommend OpenOffice.org instead of Microsoft's Office if you want a Microsoft compatible word processor and spreadsheet program and save $450. (I'd be happy to send you a CD filled with free software if you send me your mailing address: kim@FileEngine.com)
There are thousands of free software programs. You won't see them on the shelves of Office Depot or Best Buy because no one is making money selling them. But with a little searching, you can save a lot of money and gain a little freedom too.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Top 10 Reasons why Books are Better than TV
- Books are smaller and cheaper.
- Books let you skip around.
- There are millions and millions of people writing things compared to only a few thousand people video-taping things. (And people have been writing things for a lot longer.)
- Books wait for you.
- You can read just about anywhere you can see or hear.
- Books let you repeat what you didn’t get the first time.
- Books are ‘incomplete’ . . . you have to finish the story with your imagination.
- You can look up what’s in a book on the Internet.
- You can write one yourself.
- Smarter People Read
Monday, November 19, 2007
Random thoughs not to be forgotten
People generally end up where they belong. Statistically speaking however, many many people end up outside the two standard deviations. Those people defy the odds and become winners and losers.
Passion is necessary in business, but a wise Entrepreneur knows how to turn it off so he can view the world from the perspective of his prospects, investors, competitors and family.
Passion is necessary in business, but a wise Entrepreneur knows how to turn it off so he can view the world from the perspective of his prospects, investors, competitors and family.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
The S Chip
How much more beneficial would have been an 'S' chip - one that prevents Stupid material from being digested by impressionable minds - than a 'V' chip which Congress mandated be included in televisions to allow parents to filter violent content?
Sunday, September 23, 2007
PID loops and management
Running a business involves creating/managing many processes. Engineers have controlled processes forever using PID loops. That's the ticket: create PID loops for business processes.
It also helps explain the analogy: Turning a ship around in a harbor.
It also helps explain the analogy: Turning a ship around in a harbor.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
E-Mail newsletter hell
Written to Ziff-Davis...
I get email promotions from you. The latest is "The Best of Web Buyer's Guide This Week" I see an article and actually want it. I go to the download site...I get lots of these, have I registered before? I can't remember. I type in all the normal logins...losing patience. Do i really want that whitepaper? I check the e-mail address you sent the original message to. I use it to try and retrieve the password...no soap. It says I'm not registered. So I try to register, it says that e-mail address is already being used. I sure don't want to start getting two of those buyer's guides...so I give up. The white paper might have been worth a few clicks, even a 'remind me about my password' exchange, but it sure isn't worth this. I'm only writing this because it seems like the whole industry is stuck in a loop. Harvest e-mail addresses, share them with your friends, affiliates, colleagues, customers, etc. Send messages (not exactly SPAM, but not far from it - the white paper offer WAS interesting,) then make the poor slob register to MAKE SURE you've got his e-mail address...more logins, more passwords to remember, more clutter in my life... AND THEN IT DOESN'T WORK!
I get email promotions from you. The latest is "The Best of Web Buyer's Guide This Week" I see an article and actually want it. I go to the download site...I get lots of these, have I registered before? I can't remember. I type in all the normal logins...losing patience. Do i really want that whitepaper? I check the e-mail address you sent the original message to. I use it to try and retrieve the password...no soap. It says I'm not registered. So I try to register, it says that e-mail address is already being used. I sure don't want to start getting two of those buyer's guides...so I give up. The white paper might have been worth a few clicks, even a 'remind me about my password' exchange, but it sure isn't worth this. I'm only writing this because it seems like the whole industry is stuck in a loop. Harvest e-mail addresses, share them with your friends, affiliates, colleagues, customers, etc. Send messages (not exactly SPAM, but not far from it - the white paper offer WAS interesting,) then make the poor slob register to MAKE SURE you've got his e-mail address...more logins, more passwords to remember, more clutter in my life... AND THEN IT DOESN'T WORK!
Friday, July 27, 2007
Rather than Bill Gates
I was interested in a story about Bill Gates Sr's presentation to
Rotary International. I've often wondered how much better-off our society would be if,
rather than attempting to emulate Bill Gates Jr, young men & women would
emulate Bill Gates Sr. They would try their best to inspire hard work,
creativity, dedication and curiosity in their children. THAT is a sure
deal. Becoming Bill Gates Jr. is a long shot.
Rotary International. I've often wondered how much better-off our society would be if,
rather than attempting to emulate Bill Gates Jr, young men & women would
emulate Bill Gates Sr. They would try their best to inspire hard work,
creativity, dedication and curiosity in their children. THAT is a sure
deal. Becoming Bill Gates Jr. is a long shot.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Luddites & the Long Tail
On the subject of the complexity of technology (James Gaskin sent me this link)
It's important not to be sucked into the narrowmindedness of a Luddite. The reason manufacturers put too many features in your phone is that you needed feature 'F' and that got combined with features 'A' through 'Z' to aggregate demand for all the phone buyers needed to justify the manufacturer's R&D for the phone. Since they can't possibly make only 'F' phones, you need to trip over the user interface for all the other features (some of which are mutually exclusive, contradictory and inconsistent - oops!)
There is a great book on the subject: Inmates Are Running The Asylum. (I'll try to rescue it from whereever Beth Ann hides my unfinished books and finish it.)
One consequence is The Long Tail.
More tomorrow.
It's important not to be sucked into the narrowmindedness of a Luddite. The reason manufacturers put too many features in your phone is that you needed feature 'F' and that got combined with features 'A' through 'Z' to aggregate demand for all the phone buyers needed to justify the manufacturer's R&D for the phone. Since they can't possibly make only 'F' phones, you need to trip over the user interface for all the other features (some of which are mutually exclusive, contradictory and inconsistent - oops!)
There is a great book on the subject: Inmates Are Running The Asylum. (I'll try to rescue it from whereever Beth Ann hides my unfinished books and finish it.)
One consequence is The Long Tail.
More tomorrow.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Entrepreneur analogy
You're skipping a stone across a pond. Everyone skips a few times then sinks...some skip more than others, some fewer, but they all end up at the bottom.
But one skips once, twice and then a bird swoops into its path, snatches the stone from the air. You watch as the stone climbs higher and higher until it disappears from sight.
That's what every entrepreneur sees with every venture.
But one skips once, twice and then a bird swoops into its path, snatches the stone from the air. You watch as the stone climbs higher and higher until it disappears from sight.
That's what every entrepreneur sees with every venture.
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Training
My friend Bruce Frank asked me to help his wife learn about computers. Here's what I wrote him:
1. You married a smart woman. She's raised smart kids (with your help.)
2. Technology is like a hammer - it's just a tool. Nobody is hammer dumb. She's not technology dumb.
3. On the other hand, I don't want to teach hammer, I want to teach carpentry.
4. Here's how you learn this stuff:
1. Decide on something you want to do (like build a cabinet if it was carpentry.)
2. Try on your own - use available systems (like Help, Web, friends) to learn how.
3. Get so frustrated you're about to shoot yourself
4. Get the answer from an expert (like me)
Sometimes people go to courses. They spend $300 and all they've done is share a classroom with other people who don't know anything, to learn stuff they don't care about. The $300 DID get them commitment to learn. If it takes $300 to get Linda to decide she wants to learn this stuff and take the time to do it, have her give ME $300 - we'll both be better off :)
#2 above will expose you to lots of stuff you don't need to know now, but will come in handy later. This is like foraging for knowledge. Mapping the landscape of knowledge is a critical skill.
#3 is important since the relief in #4 is made sweeter proportional to how hard you've tried. It also means you spend more time on #2 doing it yourself.
1. You married a smart woman. She's raised smart kids (with your help.)
2. Technology is like a hammer - it's just a tool. Nobody is hammer dumb. She's not technology dumb.
3. On the other hand, I don't want to teach hammer, I want to teach carpentry.
4. Here's how you learn this stuff:
1. Decide on something you want to do (like build a cabinet if it was carpentry.)
2. Try on your own - use available systems (like Help, Web, friends) to learn how.
3. Get so frustrated you're about to shoot yourself
4. Get the answer from an expert (like me)
Sometimes people go to courses. They spend $300 and all they've done is share a classroom with other people who don't know anything, to learn stuff they don't care about. The $300 DID get them commitment to learn. If it takes $300 to get Linda to decide she wants to learn this stuff and take the time to do it, have her give ME $300 - we'll both be better off :)
#2 above will expose you to lots of stuff you don't need to know now, but will come in handy later. This is like foraging for knowledge. Mapping the landscape of knowledge is a critical skill.
#3 is important since the relief in #4 is made sweeter proportional to how hard you've tried. It also means you spend more time on #2 doing it yourself.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Novell BrainShare
What a feast! (Literally and figuratively.) My first attendance at BrainShare was a feast for my technology senses. Meeting with my very attentive OEM rep Craig Toyama, meeting many of the other Novell faithful, catching the SuSE/OES buzz and hooking up with Brian Proffitt from LinuxToday.com were just some of the payoffs for enduring another flight through the TSA controlled skies.
While there I also had a chance to sit down with Mike Proper from DirectPointe. Ever the consummate promoter/entrepreneur, he showed off DirectPointe's very impressive SOS product. Not a FileEngine competitor per se, but targeting the SMB none the less. It offers a very powerful looking command center. FileEngine's control system: FEAT (the FileEngine Admin Tool), pales by comparison. But, that's the point, isn't it?
While there I also had a chance to sit down with Mike Proper from DirectPointe. Ever the consummate promoter/entrepreneur, he showed off DirectPointe's very impressive SOS product. Not a FileEngine competitor per se, but targeting the SMB none the less. It offers a very powerful looking command center. FileEngine's control system: FEAT (the FileEngine Admin Tool), pales by comparison. But, that's the point, isn't it?
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Rotary Club Election
Changing the way things are done can be risky, but it is generally worth doing. [Boring lead, I apologize.]
The most recent campaign for Rotary Club of Indianapolis, one of the largest/oldest in America, involved such change and risk. The change was the approach our team took: Serious, Sober, Content Rich. Our opponents continued a 22 year tradition of frivolity - Safe.
We pulled a pre-campaign stunt: introducing ourselves prior to the assigned campaign day exploiting a rule that allows a member to rise and introduce his/her guest; we used that opportunity to introduce ourselves to the amusement of the other members. We got noticed.
On campaign day, the other team assumed the stage, adorned with day-glow green tee shirts, 8.5" X 11" landscape printed keywords for campaign themes and just a few very simple PPT slides (that really only explained why they had called themselves the HAGS. Which really became BHAGS (instead of Spokes.) It stood for Big Hairy Audacious Goals. (This would make a lot of sense of you had read: James Collins and Jerry Porras's 'Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies' but from the reactions I observed, most of our members hadn't.) We never did learn about their complex 'eye' like logo. But that's for another blog about communication strategy: Keep It Simple.) [Now I need to apologize for the embedded parens.]
We, on the other hand, had a website, passed out Name Memory Cards which supported our theme: Every Rotarian Knows Every Rotarian, and presented what amounts to be a 'platform'. We developed a logo that presented key ideas,
we used a Wiki to communicate among ourselves and used a 'gimmick' to demonstrate our Network theme: we paid out about 2000 feet of colorful crepe streamers 'connecting' (really wrapping) the audience in a virtual network to illustrate the way personal relationships create communication channels (ostensibly to enable members to do business with each other. I got worried that claustrophobic members would be alarmed!) But the biggest and most well received tactic was the use of a 5.5 minute video that introduced us to the audience; (economically produced by a member's video story company: Cantaloupe.tv.) There was no script - and I thought my own performance was ho-hum, but as Marshall McLuhen opined: The Medium is the Message.
One of our members created really cool name badges which included our logo; we also made silly banners that we wore like a collar - but hung backwards so when we sat facing the speaker our campaign was advertised to everyone behind us.
Another 'hit' was the text we had our announcer read. This made such an impression that some members that I regard as VIPs commented how good it was and one (the publisher of our monthly newsletter) asked for an electronic copy.
Altogether, our campaign broke with tradition and introduced a provocative goal - and that got us attention. One member remarked that he heard someone say: Imagine that: a SERIOUS campaign for the board. Imagine that: Every Rotarian should know every Rotarian. I was very pleased that those aspects of our campaign got the attention they deserved.
Finally, the hitch. During presentation, and for reasons that I'm still not sure about, the PPT displayed fine, but when I switched to the video all we got was audio and a blank screen! I felt mortified - here I was introduced as the A/V committee chair and I couldn't even get the video to play! After some fiddling around (about a minute and a half's worth) I got it running. The president of the club allowed me a 'do over' and the audience still mustered an applause when it was finished. (Multi-media is still so cool in most settings that it's OK if it comes off like starting a Model A.)
Afterwards, more than one member thought the faux pas wasn't off-putting at all. In fact, they gave me kudos for figuring it out under pressure. Luckily, suicide watch was not necessary!
Can a single election change the course of a venerable institution? I hope so. Our Rotary club is a very important part of our city and makes an impact in our world. As Margaret Mead said:
The most recent campaign for Rotary Club of Indianapolis, one of the largest/oldest in America, involved such change and risk. The change was the approach our team took: Serious, Sober, Content Rich. Our opponents continued a 22 year tradition of frivolity - Safe.
We pulled a pre-campaign stunt: introducing ourselves prior to the assigned campaign day exploiting a rule that allows a member to rise and introduce his/her guest; we used that opportunity to introduce ourselves to the amusement of the other members. We got noticed.
On campaign day, the other team assumed the stage, adorned with day-glow green tee shirts, 8.5" X 11" landscape printed keywords for campaign themes and just a few very simple PPT slides (that really only explained why they had called themselves the HAGS. Which really became BHAGS (instead of Spokes.) It stood for Big Hairy Audacious Goals. (This would make a lot of sense of you had read: James Collins and Jerry Porras's 'Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies' but from the reactions I observed, most of our members hadn't.) We never did learn about their complex 'eye' like logo. But that's for another blog about communication strategy: Keep It Simple.) [Now I need to apologize for the embedded parens.]
We, on the other hand, had a website, passed out Name Memory Cards which supported our theme: Every Rotarian Knows Every Rotarian, and presented what amounts to be a 'platform'. We developed a logo that presented key ideas,
we used a Wiki to communicate among ourselves and used a 'gimmick' to demonstrate our Network theme: we paid out about 2000 feet of colorful crepe streamers 'connecting' (really wrapping) the audience in a virtual network to illustrate the way personal relationships create communication channels (ostensibly to enable members to do business with each other. I got worried that claustrophobic members would be alarmed!) But the biggest and most well received tactic was the use of a 5.5 minute video that introduced us to the audience; (economically produced by a member's video story company: Cantaloupe.tv.) There was no script - and I thought my own performance was ho-hum, but as Marshall McLuhen opined: The Medium is the Message.One of our members created really cool name badges which included our logo; we also made silly banners that we wore like a collar - but hung backwards so when we sat facing the speaker our campaign was advertised to everyone behind us.
Another 'hit' was the text we had our announcer read. This made such an impression that some members that I regard as VIPs commented how good it was and one (the publisher of our monthly newsletter) asked for an electronic copy.
Altogether, our campaign broke with tradition and introduced a provocative goal - and that got us attention. One member remarked that he heard someone say: Imagine that: a SERIOUS campaign for the board. Imagine that: Every Rotarian should know every Rotarian. I was very pleased that those aspects of our campaign got the attention they deserved.
Finally, the hitch. During presentation, and for reasons that I'm still not sure about, the PPT displayed fine, but when I switched to the video all we got was audio and a blank screen! I felt mortified - here I was introduced as the A/V committee chair and I couldn't even get the video to play! After some fiddling around (about a minute and a half's worth) I got it running. The president of the club allowed me a 'do over' and the audience still mustered an applause when it was finished. (Multi-media is still so cool in most settings that it's OK if it comes off like starting a Model A.)
Afterwards, more than one member thought the faux pas wasn't off-putting at all. In fact, they gave me kudos for figuring it out under pressure. Luckily, suicide watch was not necessary!
Can a single election change the course of a venerable institution? I hope so. Our Rotary club is a very important part of our city and makes an impact in our world. As Margaret Mead said:
A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.Hopefully, we'll get elected and have a chance to transform the gimmicks of our campaign into the leadership needed to reestablish our club as an important force for good business and community building in Indianapolis.
Curiosity
The hallmark of good parenting (and the aim [prize] of a successful society) is raising children that are curious about the world and prepared to satisfy their curiosity. The principal feature missing in today's educational system is the development of curiosity. With it, all the assets of a connected, media rich world may be leveraged to produce insight, engagement, wisdom and empowerment. Without it, all is lost - the lavish application of the most precious educational resources will be for naught.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Who's to blame?
One of the problems of owning 90% of the desktop PC market is that the productivity of the world's desktops can be attributable to one company: Microsoft. It's not possible to hide behind anonymous statistics when everyone is using your software.
A recent issue of Inforworld concluded that over 50% of users are not engaged or actively disengaged at work due to the distractions of Internet access; an IN Education Technology Commission report concludes that over 50% of teachers complain their PCs aren't reliable and tech support is hard to get. PCs stopped adding to productivity a long time ago. Today they are primarily entertainment appliances.
Can we blame Microsoft for building systems that invite abuse, waste, mischief and maintenance headaches? Yes.
A recent issue of Inforworld concluded that over 50% of users are not engaged or actively disengaged at work due to the distractions of Internet access; an IN Education Technology Commission report concludes that over 50% of teachers complain their PCs aren't reliable and tech support is hard to get. PCs stopped adding to productivity a long time ago. Today they are primarily entertainment appliances.
Can we blame Microsoft for building systems that invite abuse, waste, mischief and maintenance headaches? Yes.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Vitamin Fear
Thinking about bringing a new partner into Server Partners, the FileEngine company. This partner has left fear of failure behind - he recently closed a sale of his business worth several million dollars.
I was thinking about how we could relate to each other. How our world views would be different - in fact, worried whether there would be enough common ground for us to work together.
It struck me that my life is still affected by fear. Fear of failure. But then I realized that fear leads to excitement. My life certainly isn't boring. Would having a lot of money make life boring without the fear? Maybe fear is a vitamin.
I was thinking about how we could relate to each other. How our world views would be different - in fact, worried whether there would be enough common ground for us to work together.
It struck me that my life is still affected by fear. Fear of failure. But then I realized that fear leads to excitement. My life certainly isn't boring. Would having a lot of money make life boring without the fear? Maybe fear is a vitamin.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Education metaphors
Just thinking about how to describe abstraction and the infinitesimal (as in calculus) to young students.
1. Abstraction is familiar to programmers. We use it for indirection. It allow one thing to dynamically refer to multiple other things. You get to the target thing through dereferences. OK, so that sounds complicated. But Robert's Rule of Order is an example that can be easily understood. The Rules descrribe how to run a meeting. But they also describe a system for conducting debate and settling differences which are in fact used to create rule. Robert's Rules is therefore a set of rules to create rules. Seems to me with a little more time (than I have right now,) one could develop this example into a concrete examply of abstraction. Cool!
2. The notion of the infinitesmal is at the core of calculus. But how to make that idea come alive for a student is problematic. I think I found a way: Everyone is familiar with AM and PM. It's often seemed odd to me to call 12 Midnight 12:00AM. I don't disagree with it at all...it just brushes up against my curious bone.
The number 12 is the last number on the clock and follows 11 PM. If 11 you can say 11PM it seems that you ought to be able to say 12PM follows. But it doesn't. The next number is 12AM. As a programmer, I've done time math lots of times and have had to include qwerky logic to account for that. You might be able to have a student focus on that infinitesimal fraction of time that exists around 11:59:59.999999 and 12:00:00.000001. What happens there? There is no time that begins with 12 after midnight that ISN'T PM. (I use that argument when someone tries to tell me that 12:00AM should be 12:00PM but 12:01AM is obviously AM.) No matter how small you slice time up just before the 12, it's PM and no how small the increment is past it, you end up at AM. Thus, there is something very profound that happens at the imaginary gap between the two times. It's real, yet it's ethereal. It could be that it's infinitesimally small. And that's the idea. A real 'thing' that happens twice a day that exposes something strange yet familiar.
From this understanding, calculus seem a little more approachable.
1. Abstraction is familiar to programmers. We use it for indirection. It allow one thing to dynamically refer to multiple other things. You get to the target thing through dereferences. OK, so that sounds complicated. But Robert's Rule of Order is an example that can be easily understood. The Rules descrribe how to run a meeting. But they also describe a system for conducting debate and settling differences which are in fact used to create rule. Robert's Rules is therefore a set of rules to create rules. Seems to me with a little more time (than I have right now,) one could develop this example into a concrete examply of abstraction. Cool!
2. The notion of the infinitesmal is at the core of calculus. But how to make that idea come alive for a student is problematic. I think I found a way: Everyone is familiar with AM and PM. It's often seemed odd to me to call 12 Midnight 12:00AM. I don't disagree with it at all...it just brushes up against my curious bone.
The number 12 is the last number on the clock and follows 11 PM. If 11 you can say 11PM it seems that you ought to be able to say 12PM follows. But it doesn't. The next number is 12AM. As a programmer, I've done time math lots of times and have had to include qwerky logic to account for that. You might be able to have a student focus on that infinitesimal fraction of time that exists around 11:59:59.999999 and 12:00:00.000001. What happens there? There is no time that begins with 12 after midnight that ISN'T PM. (I use that argument when someone tries to tell me that 12:00AM should be 12:00PM but 12:01AM is obviously AM.) No matter how small you slice time up just before the 12, it's PM and no how small the increment is past it, you end up at AM. Thus, there is something very profound that happens at the imaginary gap between the two times. It's real, yet it's ethereal. It could be that it's infinitesimally small. And that's the idea. A real 'thing' that happens twice a day that exposes something strange yet familiar.
From this understanding, calculus seem a little more approachable.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
The E-Mail Train Wreck
It has been 25 years since the invention of e-mail. Everybody I know uses it. They use it alot. Their use is self described as critical to their business and important to their personal lives.
Too many people get too much e-mail they can't ignore, organize, protect or trust. It has become as much of a distraction as it has an aid to communication. There must be billions of dollars wasted on it. And it's free!
E-mail can easily get sent by an imposter:
http://www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/news_article.php?section=5&category=89&story=1115
It can be sent anonymously via hundreds of free e-mail services. If you don't understand how it works it can be a vector for much mischief. Attachments grow like weeds unseen and clog file systems, exhausting backup capacity.
So much more can be said, I ought to write a book! The E-Mail Trainwreck. (Tom Lapp contributed to these ideas.)
Too many people get too much e-mail they can't ignore, organize, protect or trust. It has become as much of a distraction as it has an aid to communication. There must be billions of dollars wasted on it. And it's free!
E-mail can easily get sent by an imposter:
http://www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/news_article.php?section=5&category=89&story=1115
It can be sent anonymously via hundreds of free e-mail services. If you don't understand how it works it can be a vector for much mischief. Attachments grow like weeds unseen and clog file systems, exhausting backup capacity.
So much more can be said, I ought to write a book! The E-Mail Trainwreck. (Tom Lapp contributed to these ideas.)
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