The Nature of Information (and Tech)

As a society, we use our iPhones a lot. Maybe even too much. Our society is addicted to the massive amount of data that is immediately accessible at our fingertips. It doesn’t even matter if the data is relevant to us or is necessary within our context. We just like data and we enjoy feeling that we know something now that we didn't before. Instagram is a perfect example of this "data overload." It's a massive amount of data that is organized simply and beautifully and incredibly easy to consume. Who wouldn't want that?

The entire idea of “Followers” is based on the premise that you want to follow someone because of the data they present. They may share the same interests as you such as coffee, cycling, or pets; or, they may live in the same city as you and have monthly meet-ups. It’s a community of people who consume data, follow each other, and share interests.

People that were completely inaccessible before because of their fame, wealth, or social status, are now sharing their most treasured and exciting moments with millions of users simultaneously. At the same time, a picture that I post could potentially gain more likes and activity than someone else who is well-known. This is because the same data is equally accessible to everyone. The hierarchic structure that used to build walls between societies, is now broken down because of the society of information.

Finally, the idea of the "Faustian Bargain:"

Technology giveth and technology taketh away, and not always in equal measure

can be entirely true within the context of Instagram. Instagram has given us the incredible ability to instantly view thousands of photos, but it has created a distraction that can entirely remove a person from a social situation. It has created the ability to be informed about what is happening on the virtual community, but it can destroy the ability for anything to be private, or for communication to happen in the ever-present, physical community. The best way to ensure that technology does not "taketh away" in this context is for our society to apply discipline regarding their use and interaction with the App, especially in real, physical community. We will then be able to create connections to a virtual community without destroying connections in our real, physical communities. 

Book Review - Zig Ziglar - Born to Win

“You were born to win, but to be the winner you were born to be you must plan to win and prepare to win! Then, and only then, can you legitimately expect to win.” 

  Profound words from one of the most successful public speakers and life coaches - Zig Ziglar. In his book “Born to Win” he describes the thought process, methodology, and daily direction that can help you win in all areas of your life. Zig defines winning as not just success, power, or position; but as mental and physical health, spiritual discipline, positive relationships, and workplace success. This holistic approach is what makes this book so exciting and enticing, it’s knowing that life’s purpose is so much more than society makes it out to be. 

Zig covers, in detail, his process to win: plan, prepare, and expect. Each of these stages is critical in winning, and the entire idea he presents is powered by this statement, “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want." Many people travel the path of life simply expecting to win, they feel entitled to success because of their heritage, education, position, or pride. Zig has a different way of thinking here: if we can become outward focused, and help others get what they want, we will naturally reap the benefits of what we have sowed into other’s lives. His approach is also more methodical. We must plan in each individual area of our lives and set goals that push us towards winning. We must then prepare based on our planning and goals. Preparation involves hard work, rethinking the previously stated goals, and considering how we can be more efficient. If we’ve done well and worked hard in the first two stages, we can finally expect to win. This is the fun part, this is where we get to reap the benefits of our hard work!

The best analogy I can think of to describe this is that of a camping trip. The best camping trips I have been on have involved a lot of planning and preparing. It would be foolish to not plan or prepare for a trip, imagine an excited couple arriving at a campsite in their car. They have no tent, sleeping bags, food, wood, toiletries, or fun activities planned. I can assure you they will not enjoy that trip, and they are likely to never go camping again. Now imagine a couple that has spent the past week, or even month preparing for the trip. They’ve packed all the necessary supplies, they’ve planned out fun hikes, campfire games, delicious meals, and exciting adventures. This couple is not only going to have an amazing time, but they are going to remember that trip and have a desire to go camping again.

It is the same way with winning. We need to plan, prepare, and expect to win in order to be successful in every area of our lives. If we don’t we will be prone to failure, at risk to entitlement, and sacrifice our ambition.

What do you think, were you born to win?

Original Podcast - Answering some questions about Data Warehouses!

Check it out! My first Video Podcast style assignment where I answer some questions about Data Warehouses.

The flow of information... And Noise.

I recently spoke with my brother on the phone while I was sitting in traffic. A phone call is a great channel through which to send your message because it is a two-way channel. The message can be sent and received simultaneously by each party while the channel is active. In some cases, when I was speaking, I was the sender. My words, tone, and inflection was the message. My message was sent through quite a complicated channel: my car’s microphone, through a bluetooth connection to my iPhone, then through a cellular connection to a few towers, through an international phone system, and finally to my brother’s smartphone. When my brother began speaking, the information flow was reversed and his words, tone, and inflection was the message. He was the sender and I was the receiver. Noise occurred at various intervals in both directions of flow. Whether it was a loud vehicle driving by, a temporary disconnection, or the call dropping altogether, noise was somewhat consistent. This altered or prevented the transmission altogether. For instance, I was explaining something and a few of my words were cut out from my message because of some cellular reception issue. The information in my transmission was entirely compromised and the message received by my brother was quite different than the message I sent. Fortunately, in our case, both the sender and the receiver were aware of the noise, which helped to mitigate the challenge of sending and receiving our messages. We were both able to overcome the challenge of noise by re-sending our message (restating our point) or by altering the channel, “here, let me try calling you back later.” 

DIY carpentry

I don't consider myself much of a carpenter, but when kitchen tables cost as much as they do, I knew that there had to be a better (cheaper) way.

Elise (my lovely wife) had been checking out a few kitchen tables recently for our new home. As we were looking and seeing how expensive they are she asked me to build her one. At first I laughed, then paused and thought for a minute, then said, "Okay, I'll do it." I still don't know if she was joking, or if she has an amazing amount of confidence in me. Whatever it was, it sounded like a challenge.

Now luckily the design she had in mind was very simple and reminiscent of the table we had in our little apartment in Mozambique. Square table, 4 square legs, no special designs, just a really simple table that needed to look like it was made out of a old wooden ship or something.

So I started measuring, and drawing, and thinking, and asking, and eventually going with Elise's dad to get the wood and hardware. After pricing everything up we realized it was more than the table at IKEA, which after we went to IKEA we realized that particular table might as well be made for elves. So I was back in business. We did get our 4 chairs from IKEA, plain wood, unstained.

I bought all of the wood and hardware from Menards, and got started. After all the pieces were cut to size, and we beat, sanded, scraped, scratched, dinged, and dented the wood; we started staining. I'll never forget the look on Elise's dad's face when he came out and saw me ruining (distressing) the wood. He couldn't understand why I would take perfectly good wood, and ruin it. I told him that it's the same reason that people buy jeans with holes in them. Elise's idea for the stain was nothing short of brilliant: a thin base layer of grey, followed by a thin layer of brown, followed by polyurethane.

mock-up.

After everything was stained and dried, it was time for assembly, the table was done first, then we stained and assembled the chairs. The whole set ended up being under $200. I'm very happy with how it turned out, and I couldn't have done it without the great ideas, design, and inspiration of my wife. Thanks babe.

p.s. if anybody wants the drawing, instructions, or materials list, let me know!

Andrew Belle - The Ladder CD review

Track Listing:
1. The Ladder
2. Static Waves
3. Tower
4. Add It Up
5. Reach
6. Oh My Stars
7. Don't Blame Yourself
8. My Oldest Friend
9. Open Your Eyes
10. Make It Without You

Genre:
Singer/Songwriter (I would say Lo-fi Pop, others have said "smart pop" because of his intelligible lyric writing)

Similar Bands (From my point of view):
A mix of Deathcab for Cutie, Copeland, Jack Johnson, and Coldplay...

        I've never written a CD review so I'll do my best. This CD was introduced to me by one of my wife's good friends. I haven't gotten a new CD since I decided to stop downloading music illegally (something I would encourage you all to do). This album was free off of Noisetrade, so it was nice to hear something different, free. Now we'll get down to the nitty-gritty.
        Andrew Belle is a singer-songwriter originally from Illinois. He moved to Nashville and his music has been featured on TV shows on MTV and CBS. This album has a chill, mellow feeling to it. There are still some pretty "big" parts on it, and some very upbeat, even rocky places, but for the most part it's a slower quieter CD. Andrew uses a variety of instruments, but is most often backed by his acoustic guitar or piano. He definitely has some great guitar tones, and some interesting drum rhythms. His guitar leads are long and washy with soft delay and overdrive. He has lots of great fingerpicking, and simple, but perfect piano parts. I have really enjoyed this album, and I haven't been able to stop listening to it. It's been perfect for this snowy Michigan weather, driving to and from work, at work, and at home, AND the wife approves, even better!
        My favorite song is definitely "My Oldest Friend." It has a great lead riff that really grabs you. It starts just piano, but is then doubled by guitar after the first chorus. Other highlights are songs like "Reach," a short sort of bridge between songs in the album. I'm not sure if you can still get if for free, but it's definitely worth the money if you can't.

UPDATE: here's a great music video from the album as well!

Did anyone else snatch up this album? What did you think!?

A little bit about food...

Food has been blowing my mind lately.

The incredibly vast palette of flavors composed of hundreds or even thousands of different ingredients. The way that food brings a family together. The idea that different people like and prefer different flavors. The way that we get to create different foods, experiment, and test our ideas. The way an African widows' face lights up when you hand them a 40 kilo bag of corn.

I am incredibly privileged to live in an environment where I can eat whatever I want, whenever I want. I am blessed to always be full. I watch shows about food, I cook food, I eat food, and I enjoy food and occasionally. I bake.

in the oven...

Today I really enjoyed baking one of my favorite cookies for my wife. The "Oatmeal Scotchie." It's an old-fashioned cookie with oatmeal and butterscotch chips and it tastes like snuggling up in a blanket in your favorite chair and talking with your grandma.

Food can take you on a journey. A simple taste can bring back pictures, memories, and feelings. For instance, a really good-tasting latte reminds me of our honeymoon in Seattle. Peanut butter cake and 3 Musketeers remind me of my grandma, and hot, fresh, homemade apple cider reminds me of camping with my grandpa. Food is a beautiful thing, and I'm very thankful that I always have plenty of it.

So next time you take a bite, don't just eat. Enjoy, remember, and be thankful because food is a wonderful thing.

p.s. you can find that great cookie recipe here.