Friday 7 June 2013
Software and champions for change
Riddhiman Das is being honored as a Champion of Change for his accomplishments as an immigrant entrepreneur and innovator.
I was born and raised in a town of about a million people at the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains in India. I first used a computer when I was seven years old, and I realized that humankind was about to be transformed by the Information Technology revolution—and that software was going to change a lot about how we had been doing things for the past few millennia. I knew I wanted to play a part in this revolution, and I decided that I was going to one day be a computer scientist and do my bit to help people use technology in their lives.
My father was born in a remote village a few hundred miles away, worked his way through school, and eventually trained to be a hematologist at the University of Cambridge. He was a living inspiration of what hard work and perseverance could achieve. He had always encouraged me to come to the United States to pursue my dream, since here is where most of the innovation in software happened. When he died when I was 14, my mother, a rheumatologist, stepped up, and with the help and guidance of a few family and close friends, I got into an American college and came over to pursue my goal of transforming the world through software.
During my college years, I got acquainted with the Kansas City technology entrepreneurship community, and I knew I could make a difference through my skills here. I co-founded my first company, Dr. Peet’s Software, with the goal of developing mobile software that would help children and young adults with developmental disabilities learn basic literacy skills. About a year later, I started Talent Helix, a company whose mission was to use social networks to help people find opportunities. The grand vision of Talent Helix was that college students and under-employed people in the community would use the service to find jobs and part time gigs while working full time or being a student. While Talent Helix never gained much traction, the experience taught me a lot about entrepreneurship, and more importantly, about Kansas City’s high-tech entrepreneurial community. I realized that while this community had its strengths, it also had a few major weaknesses. One such weakness was an acute shortage of tech talent, and I started thinking about ways I could contribute to solving that problem.
With this in mind, I went on to intern, and later work remotely part-time, at a few companies in California and New York City, where the best and the brightest tech talent always seemed to go. While there, I observed first-hand the processes and workings of several successful tech companies, both big and small. These jobs and internships gave me an opportunity to work on cutting edge technologies that led to my filing of three patents, and learn from the people who write some of the most popular software programs we use every day.
After a very rewarding year of doing this, I felt it was time to see if I could use these experiences to make a difference in the Kansas City tech community—and so I started Galleon Labs, a software consulting company that would handle the technical needs of any tech venture in the city, and hopefully eventually the entire Midwestern region. In just over 13 months of existence, we’ve developed the core products of over 21 different companies from the region. We’ve developed software to improve and maintain pharmaceutical drug adherence, web and mobile applications for pediatricians to keep track of patients away from the clinic, and computer vision applications for digital agencies to measure the effectiveness of their ad campaigns, among many other very interesting and challenging projects. My proudest moment was being able to hire one of my fellow graduates and one of my favorite professors from college.
Lately, I've also been heavily involved with EyeVerify, where we’ve commercialized a software-only, biometric method for verifying the identity of mobile users called 'Eyeprints.' The Eyeprint Verification System is based on the unique vein patterns in the whites of your eyes, and has fingerprint-level accuracy. Eyeprints require only the existing camera in a smartphone, so the system is not dependent on expensive fingerprint or iris scanning hardware. The patented technology is a major advancement in biometric authentication and is the only approach that uses built-in cameras within mobile devices to image and pattern-match the unique veins in the whites of users’ eyes, ensuring highly accurate, fast, and convenient security.
I often think of how different my journey would have been if I did not have to struggle with immigration laws. After I graduated college, I was planning on working for a major software company, but couldn't because my work authorization was denied for a very minor typographical error in the paperwork. As a result, in order to continue to be in the country, I had to exit the country and pursue my entrepreneurial and technical activities while also attending graduate school in the U.S. The United States has been at the forefront of technological and entrepreneurial innovation for decades, and it is my most earnest hope that legislators realize the immense value that highly-skilled immigrants bring into the country, so that the United States can remain in that spot for many years to come.
Riddhiman Das is Founder of Galleon Labs.
source: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/06/04/transforming-world-through-software
Thursday 6 June 2013
Summer 2013 plans
Boston Public Garden (afternoon)
Freedom Trail (afternoon)
Archery (half day), zozi tickets
White Mountains, New Hampshire (weekend, requires car)
New England Aquarium (afternoon)
Improv Asylum (evening)
Waterfront (afternoon)
Franklin Park Zoo (afternoon)
Highly Ranked on Trip Advisor
Boston Harbor Islands National Park (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60745-d107180-Reviews-Boston_Harbor_Islands_National_Park-Boston_Massachusetts.html, afternoon)
Museum of Science (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60745-d104912-Reviews-Museum_of_Science-Boston_Massachusetts.html, afternoon)
Castle Island
Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum
George's Island
Freedom Trail (afternoon)
Archery (half day), zozi tickets
White Mountains, New Hampshire (weekend, requires car)
New England Aquarium (afternoon)
Improv Asylum (evening)
Waterfront (afternoon)
Franklin Park Zoo (afternoon)
Highly Ranked on Trip Advisor
Boston Harbor Islands National Park (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60745-d107180-Reviews-Boston_Harbor_Islands_National_Park-Boston_Massachusetts.html, afternoon)
Museum of Science (http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60745-d104912-Reviews-Museum_of_Science-Boston_Massachusetts.html, afternoon)
Castle Island
Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum
George's Island
Can Machine Intelligence Emerge from a Single Algorithm?
I would like to think it's possible, that our brains are just more complicated versions of the computers that we've created.
Features Andrew Ng from Stanford (Coursera founder, CMU alumni, http://ai.stanford.edu/~ang/) and Alexander Wissner-Gross (http://www.alexwg.org)
http://enterpriseresilienceblog.typepad.com/enterprise_resilience_man/2013/06/can-machine-intelligence-emerge-from-a-single-algorithm.html
Features Andrew Ng from Stanford (Coursera founder, CMU alumni, http://ai.stanford.edu/~ang/) and Alexander Wissner-Gross (http://www.alexwg.org)
http://enterpriseresilienceblog.typepad.com/enterprise_resilience_man/2013/06/can-machine-intelligence-emerge-from-a-single-algorithm.html
Determinants and the vector properties of length, area, volume
Length, area, volume, and higher dimensions of these values have vector associated with them. There is a notion of "negative area", in that it is a "space in a different direction". This property is necessary to preserve 0, from linearity, so that you can add two equal but opposite components and obtain 0.
The directionality of area/volume can also be seen from 2D and 3D cross products, when considering the result to be the magnitude of the area of the parallelogram/parallelepiped that is formed.
Examples include current density, dl in Biot-Savart Law, dA in Gauss' Law.
http://www.askamathematician.com/2013/05/q-why-are-determinants-defined-the-weird-way-they-are/
The directionality of area/volume can also be seen from 2D and 3D cross products, when considering the result to be the magnitude of the area of the parallelogram/parallelepiped that is formed.
Examples include current density, dl in Biot-Savart Law, dA in Gauss' Law.
http://www.askamathematician.com/2013/05/q-why-are-determinants-defined-the-weird-way-they-are/
Mechanical labs at Hopkins, Berkeley
Hopkins:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/robotics-hardware/miniature-quadruped-robot-is-blazingly-fastBerkeley:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/robotics-hardware/little-legged-robots-grow-wings-and-tails
Ronald Fearing's lab: http://robotics.eecs.berkeley.edu/~ronf/
Staying humble, competitiveness, and team players in sports
Popovich said the franchise’s commitment to Duncan, Parker and Ginobili and the sustained success of the union is “a total function of who those three guys are. What if they were jerks? What if they were selfish? What if one of them was, you know, unintelligent? If, if, if. But the way it works out, all three of them are highly intelligent. They all have great character. . . . I think it’s just a matter of being really, really fortunate to have three people who understand that and who commit to a system and a philosophy for that length of time.”
“I have something in me that they took in ’07: beat us on our home floor, celebrated on our home floor. I won’t forget that. You shouldn’t as a competitor. You should never forget that,” James said. “It’s the same group of guys for the most part. The same Big Three and Coach Pop. And I look forward to the challenge once again.”
---
There aren’t many Redskins players who are more fan friendly than Alfred Morris. And I don’t mean, “sure, I’ll sign an autograph for you” fan friendly. I mean, “Sure, I’ll play paintball with you” fan friendly.
According to CaptainCrookedFoot on Reddit, Morris did just that when he ran into a group of fans playing paintball.
“We went to Pevs for one of my buddies bachelor party and saw Alfred,” the fan wrote on Reddit. “He played with us for 3 hours and even met up with some of the other guys later to go kart.”
“It has some sentimental value to it now,” Morris said Wednesday before the Redskins headed out for practice. “It just keeps me grounded, where I came from and all the hard work for me to get to this point. So that’s what helps me.”
Mass transportation
A lot of money and resources would be saved if there existed some way to transport lots of things very quickly.
The specific example I had in mind was how people will buy a new set of clothes hangers each time they move to a new location, because they are deemed expendable and cheap. However, there is a cost associated with manufacturing, and the plastic/carbon footprint is non-negligible.
The specific example I had in mind was how people will buy a new set of clothes hangers each time they move to a new location, because they are deemed expendable and cheap. However, there is a cost associated with manufacturing, and the plastic/carbon footprint is non-negligible.
Wednesday 5 June 2013
Squat workout
squats-based workout x3 a week
warm up (no weight)
stretch (side, down)
pre workload
10x1 @ 35% 1RM
10x1 @ 50% 1RM
5x1 @ 75% 1RM
actual
5x5 @ 80% 1RM
5 sets of single leg dumbell squats
10x2 light
10x2 medium
5x1 heavy
10x10 short circuit (box jump + push up)
Education is yours to seize
No one's going to hand it to you, not even in college where you're paying thousands for it. It's up to you to grab ahold of it.
How to be Successful in Your Internship or First Job
Notes from Carnegie Mellon Career and Professional Development Center.
Look Like a Professional
Observe others to find the proper dress, decoration, carry-items for your workplace.
o It better to be overdressed than underdressed
o It is better to under-decorate than over decorate
o Turn off your cell phone and do not “text” during work until you are told it is OK
In general (not just work):
• Be on time for meetings and appointments
• Be on time for work
Act Like a Professional
Be Friendly - Being well liked counts
o There are so many different personalities that you will be working
with
You need to show up for work and work
• Don’t complain
• Adjust to the culture in which you are employed
The worst career eliminating move of young professionals is “Being cocky overconfident snots who can’t listen to anyone but themselves…..”
So: be eager, be respectful, be curious, be willing to take on ANY project, have a can-do attitude, make your deadline, do the job
Communicate Like a Professional
Look Like a Professional
Observe others to find the proper dress, decoration, carry-items for your workplace.
o It better to be overdressed than underdressed
o It is better to under-decorate than over decorate
o Turn off your cell phone and do not “text” during work until you are told it is OK
In general (not just work):
• Be on time for meetings and appointments
• Be on time for work
Act Like a Professional
Be Friendly - Being well liked counts
o There are so many different personalities that you will be working
with
You need to show up for work and work
• Don’t complain
• Adjust to the culture in which you are employed
The worst career eliminating move of young professionals is “Being cocky overconfident snots who can’t listen to anyone but themselves…..”
So: be eager, be respectful, be curious, be willing to take on ANY project, have a can-do attitude, make your deadline, do the job
Communicate Like a Professional
Breaking-in Skills
You are an outsider until you prove otherwise
• Admit what you don’t know
• You don’t earn acceptance by challenging the system at first; you
earn it by fitting in
• Build a track record by becoming known for hard work, for fitting in,
and for professional maturity
1D Kalman Filtering code in Python
Thanks to Udacity.
1 dimensional Kalman Filter
def update(mean1, var1, mean2, var2):
new_mean = (var2 * mean1 + var1 * mean2) / (var1 + var2)
new_var = 1/(1/var1 + 1/var2)
return [new_mean, new_var]
def predict(mean1, var1, mean2, var2):
new_mean = mean1 + mean2
new_var = var1 + var2
return [new_mean, new_var]
for i in range(len(measurements)):
[mu, sig] = update(mu, sig, measurements[i], measurement_sig)
[mu, sig] = predict(mu, sig, motion[i], motion_sig)
1 dimensional Kalman Filter
def update(mean1, var1, mean2, var2):
new_mean = (var2 * mean1 + var1 * mean2) / (var1 + var2)
new_var = 1/(1/var1 + 1/var2)
return [new_mean, new_var]
def predict(mean1, var1, mean2, var2):
new_mean = mean1 + mean2
new_var = var1 + var2
return [new_mean, new_var]
for i in range(len(measurements)):
[mu, sig] = update(mu, sig, measurements[i], measurement_sig)
[mu, sig] = predict(mu, sig, motion[i], motion_sig)
Questions for your potential bosses
- Does your boss like to have a hands-on approach?
- Does your boss take a more hands-off approach and act more as a mentor and helper than a manager?
- Does your boss make unilateral decisions without consulting his or her workers?
- Does your boss listen to you? Does he or she ask a lot of questions, or just kind of walk around and try to pick up information throughout the day?
- How much input does your boss allow employees to have? Do you find this is useful, or does it waste time?
Sunday 2 June 2013
How to be happier
- Start spending time with the right people.
- Start facing your problems head on.
- Start being honest with yourself about everything.
- Start making your own happiness a priority.
- Start being yourself, genuinely and proudly.
- Start noticing and living in the present.
- Start valuing the lessons your mistakes teach you.
- Start being more polite to yourself.
- Start enjoying the things you already have.
- Start creating your own happiness.
- Start giving your ideas and dreams a chance.
- Start believing that you’re ready for the next step.
- Start entering new relationships for the right reasons.
- Start giving new people you meet a chance.
- Start competing against an earlier version of yourself. – Be inspired by others, appreciate others, learn from others, but know that competing against them is a waste of time. You are in competition with one person and one person only – yourself. You are competing to be the best you can be. Aim to break your own personal records.
- Start cheering for other people’s victories.
- Start looking for the silver lining in tough situations.
- Start forgiving yourself and others.
- Start helping those around you.
- Start listening to your own inner voice.
- Start being attentive to your stress level and take short breaks.
- Start noticing the beauty of small moments.
- Start accepting things when they are less than perfect. Sometimes it’s better to accept and appreciate the world as it is, and people as they are, rather than to trying to make everything and everyone conform to an impossible ideal. No, you shouldn’t accept a life of mediocrity, but learn to love and value things when they are less than perfect.
- Start working toward your goals every single day. – Remember, the journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Whatever it is you dream about, start taking small, logical steps every day to make it happen. Get out there and DO something! The harder you work the luckier you will become. While many of us decide at some point during the course of our lives that we want to answer our calling, only an astute few of us actually work on it. By ‘working on it,’ I mean consistently devoting oneself to the end result.
- Start being more open about how you feel.
- Start taking full accountability for your own life.
- Start actively nurturing your most important relationships. Remember, you don’t need a certain number of friends, just a number of friends you can be certain of.
- Start concentrating on the things you can control.
- Start focusing on the possibility of positive outcomes.
- Start noticing how wealthy you are right now.
How to say no
1. “I can’t commit to this as I have other priorities at the moment.”
2. “Now’s not a good time as I’m in the middle of something. How about we reconnect at X time?”
3. “I’d love to do this, but …”
4. “Let me think about it first and I’ll get back to you.”
This is more like a “Maybe” than a straight out “No”.
If you’re not interested in what the person has to offer at all, don’t lead him/her on. Use methods #5, #6 or #7 which are definitive.
5. “This doesn’t meet my needs now but I’ll be sure to keep you in mind.”
6. “I’m not the best person to help on this. Why don’t you try X?”
7. “No, I can’t."
http://zenhabits.net/say-no/
---
Spend some time thinking over any requests before answering, and see if there is a compromise available.
Answer people with a respectful no.
Speak in an even, calm manner.
Suggest an alternative to their request.
Stand your ground when you are challenged. Do not give in to anger, bullying or abusive behavior. You have a right to say no to any request that you are uncomfortable with. Say no, and mean it!
---
Transfer ownership of your refusal to something else. For instance, say "I can, but my schedule is booked now. How about some other time?" You don't have to explain further. This deflects any resentment they might have towards your schedule.
Don't feel obligated to explain. You have your reasons and they may not be ones you wish to discuss. If this is the case, try saying something like, "I'm just not able to." Leave it at that - if you must, change the subject, or say, "I'm sorry, but I need to go."
Stand firm. If the requester does not want to accept your answer, tell him or her that your mind is made up and that you will not change it.
Do not lie when you explain why your answer is no.
http://www.wikihow.com/Say-No-Respectfully
Visualization vs. Analytical tools
Promotes visualization/simulation tools.
http://worrydream.com/KillMath/
---
because analytic methods offer a fundamentally deeper understanding of phenomena than simulations do, I believe that Victor's time would be better spent making analytic methods accessible to the average person rather than attempting to replace analytic methods wholesale with computer simulations, no matter how mesmerizing and seductive the kaleidoscopic gyrations of the latter may be.
http://www.evanmiller.org/dont-kill-math.html
http://worrydream.com/KillMath/
---
because analytic methods offer a fundamentally deeper understanding of phenomena than simulations do, I believe that Victor's time would be better spent making analytic methods accessible to the average person rather than attempting to replace analytic methods wholesale with computer simulations, no matter how mesmerizing and seductive the kaleidoscopic gyrations of the latter may be.
http://www.evanmiller.org/dont-kill-math.html
Intradisciplinary feedback cycle
An intradisciplinary feedback cycle results in mutual growth.
Example: Youtube artists and the software developers who made Youtube
The coders probably said something like, "it'd be great if I could watch whatever I wanted whenever I wanted".
And once the webapp was made, artists were like "great! now i can perform whenever i want, wherever I want!".
The coders then continued to develop the site because so many artists are interested, and more artists join the site because it's a good way to publicize.
Both parties profit! :)
However, we also eat up each other's time. For example:
Scientists/engineers turn to music/movies for entertainment.
Entertainers/performers surf the internet, use their phones for entertainment.
All of the products that both parties produce end up combining to form devices with which we can burn away time.
Of course, both categories use a lot of other forms of entertainment as well. An alternative way to look at this is that all people use the results of scientists/engineers (tvs, computers, phones) to be entertained by entertainers/performers (music, movies).
Example: Youtube artists and the software developers who made Youtube
The coders probably said something like, "it'd be great if I could watch whatever I wanted whenever I wanted".
And once the webapp was made, artists were like "great! now i can perform whenever i want, wherever I want!".
The coders then continued to develop the site because so many artists are interested, and more artists join the site because it's a good way to publicize.
Both parties profit! :)
However, we also eat up each other's time. For example:
Scientists/engineers turn to music/movies for entertainment.
Entertainers/performers surf the internet, use their phones for entertainment.
All of the products that both parties produce end up combining to form devices with which we can burn away time.
Of course, both categories use a lot of other forms of entertainment as well. An alternative way to look at this is that all people use the results of scientists/engineers (tvs, computers, phones) to be entertained by entertainers/performers (music, movies).
Lily Allen's resonating quote
She dropped out of school at age fifteen, not wanting to "spend a third of her life preparing to work for the next third of her life, to set herself up with a pension for the next third of her life.
Never forget your origins
Especially if you get good/famous at something, always be thankful for and recognize the people who helped you reach the point you have.
Example:
Rappers and dancers usually have shoutouts to their original crews.
Example:
Rappers and dancers usually have shoutouts to their original crews.
My goal in robotics
I would like to be able to live in a world where I can interact with robots as if they were other creatures. I want to throw a stick and tell my robot dog to fetch. I want to be able to order from my robot waiter. I want to be able to ask my robot coworker for advice, hobbies, or to design a circuit board (haha but first, is this solvable in polynomial time?)
Think before you speak
Avoid bashing on others. Don't tell others' secrets, and don't offend people.
http://www.wikihow.com/Watch-What-You-Say
http://www.wikihow.com/Watch-What-You-Say
Conversations [with strangers]
Be casual
Catch their eye
Say something!!! (It doesn't matter a whole lot what you say to get the conversation started. It's more about how you say it. If you can deliver the best opening line in the world with confidence, go for it!
Find out what interests the other party. What sports and hobbies do they enjoy? What classes are they taking, and what's the end result? (Degree, job, etc.)
Listen
Let the other person ask about you. Volunteer things like your name, and anything that's a good conversation starter such as "Hi, my name's Penny. I'd offer to shake your hand, but I broke my arm while rock climbing last weekend."
Ask questions that encourage people to talk.
Avoid asking questions that require one-word replies.
Follow-up with "Why?" or "How?"
Opening: What would you like to talk about today?
What’s on your mind?
Where would you like to start?
What have you been thinking about since we last talked?
Alternatives: What are the possibilities?
If you had your choice, what would you do?
What are the possible solutions?
What if you do and what if you don’t?
What could you do differently?
Appraisal: How do you feel about it?
How does it look to you?
What do you make of it all?
What do you think is best?
What is your basic concern?
Background: What led up to ____________?
What have you tried so far?
How did it happen?
Fill me in on the background.
Clarification: What if this doesn’t make sense to you?
What seems to confuse you?
Please explain what you mean by_________?
What do you make of it all?
Description: What was it like?
Tell me about it?
What happened?
Please describe it in your own words?
Evaluation: In what way?
How is the good or bad or in between?
According to your own standards, how does it look?
How would you evaluate all of this?
Exploration: How about going into that a little deeper?
Let’s explore that some more.
What other angles you can think of?
What were your reactions to these things?
Examples: Give me an illustration?
Give me an example?
For instance?
Like what?
Perspective: What are your ultimate objectives?
What would you like to be doing five years from now?
Where will this lead?
How does this relate to your other problems and successes?
Where did this come from?
Planning: How do you suppose you could improve the situation?
What do you plan to do about it?
What could you do in a case like this?
What plans will you need to make?
What plans have you thought about?
Who could help you with your plans?
Predictions: How do you suppose it will all work out?
Where will this lead?
What if you do or what if you don’t?
What are the chances of success?
How would you like it to work out?
Reasons: How is it that you feel that way?
How do you account for this?
What reasons have you come up with?
What is the logical solution to this?
What makes sense to you?
Relation: How does this fit in with your plans?
How would you describe our discussion to someone else?
Please review for me.
What do you think this all amounts to?
Taking Action: What are you going to do about it?
Where do you go from here?
What are your next steps?
How do you plan to start?
Other: What can you do differently?
How could you do that differently?
If you had a “magic wish,” what would be different?
What would you be doing differently?
Why Questions: Be careful of “why” questions as they can lead to blame or perceived
accusations.
How did that come about? Or How did that happened” are more effective than
“why” questions.
Avoid Closed Ended Questions: Did you…? Are you…? Will you…?
Coming up with new conversation topics
Watch the world around you, and look for things that interest you. A broad vision of life will expand the subjects you will enjoy talking about.
Look for new friends in different walks of life or different backgrounds. Their perspectives, philosophies, and ideas may be interesting topics of conversation.
Listen to the people you talk with, and if they have unique interests, learn more about them.
Develop hobbies and look for clubs or organizations that support them. This will be a unique ground to learn and share ideas and thoughts as your knowledge grows.
Consider what you might have in common with this personDo you like the same music? Talk about your bands. Don't know what music they like? Ask them! Having stuff in common is the reason most people become friends.
Search for new perspectives in your own interests, and keep current on the leading edge of discoveries in those areas. When Pluto was declared a non-planet some months ago, you can be sure it was a hot topic in the astronomical community, but people on the streets were talking about it too.
Talk about food.
Study the reaction of people you normally talk with when you try to bring up new topics.
http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Talking-About-the-Same-Old-Things
http://www.quora.com/How-can-I-have-improve-my-conversation-skills
http://www.wikihow.com/Ask-Open-Ended-Questions
http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Conversation-with-a-Stranger
Catch their eye
Say something!!! (It doesn't matter a whole lot what you say to get the conversation started. It's more about how you say it. If you can deliver the best opening line in the world with confidence, go for it!
- If not, stick to something more basic, such as "Hi, my name's Mark," and offer to shake hands.)
- If the weather is remarkable, remark on it, but don't dwell. Weather conversations are generally short, boring, and indicate that you don't have much to say.
Find out what interests the other party. What sports and hobbies do they enjoy? What classes are they taking, and what's the end result? (Degree, job, etc.)
Listen
Let the other person ask about you. Volunteer things like your name, and anything that's a good conversation starter such as "Hi, my name's Penny. I'd offer to shake your hand, but I broke my arm while rock climbing last weekend."
- If there's something you happen to share with the other person—a sport, a love of food, a favorite political candidate, by all means, share. The goal is not to be silent, just do not introduce yourself to somebody for the sole purpose of talking about yourself.
- If the person you want to talk to doesn't seem like they're interested in talking back, then don't force it. It could be that they're just having a terrible day, or it could mean they just don't want to chat with you.
Avoid the usual boring comments such as, "Lovely day!", or, "Look at the traffic!" Try to start the conversation in an interesting way. Something like, "Did you see that football game on the weekend-a good one, huh?" or, "Cool watch, where'd you get it?" Are much better than the ordinary conversation starters. Try to say something that will most likely start a long and lively conversation. For example, if the watch the cab driver's wearing is an amazingly expensive and dazzling one, asking where they got it and what brand it is would probably provoke a longer conversation than commenting on the weather. Obviously if there's a hurricane going on outside, or an extremely heavy storm, it would be appropriate to mention this
Ask questions that encourage people to talk.
Avoid asking questions that require one-word replies.
Follow-up with "Why?" or "How?"
Opening: What would you like to talk about today?
What’s on your mind?
Where would you like to start?
What have you been thinking about since we last talked?
Alternatives: What are the possibilities?
If you had your choice, what would you do?
What are the possible solutions?
What if you do and what if you don’t?
What could you do differently?
Appraisal: How do you feel about it?
How does it look to you?
What do you make of it all?
What do you think is best?
What is your basic concern?
Background: What led up to ____________?
What have you tried so far?
How did it happen?
Fill me in on the background.
Clarification: What if this doesn’t make sense to you?
What seems to confuse you?
Please explain what you mean by_________?
What do you make of it all?
Description: What was it like?
Tell me about it?
What happened?
Please describe it in your own words?
Evaluation: In what way?
How is the good or bad or in between?
According to your own standards, how does it look?
How would you evaluate all of this?
Exploration: How about going into that a little deeper?
Let’s explore that some more.
What other angles you can think of?
What were your reactions to these things?
Examples: Give me an illustration?
Give me an example?
For instance?
Like what?
Perspective: What are your ultimate objectives?
What would you like to be doing five years from now?
Where will this lead?
How does this relate to your other problems and successes?
Where did this come from?
Planning: How do you suppose you could improve the situation?
What do you plan to do about it?
What could you do in a case like this?
What plans will you need to make?
What plans have you thought about?
Who could help you with your plans?
Predictions: How do you suppose it will all work out?
Where will this lead?
What if you do or what if you don’t?
What are the chances of success?
How would you like it to work out?
Reasons: How is it that you feel that way?
How do you account for this?
What reasons have you come up with?
What is the logical solution to this?
What makes sense to you?
Relation: How does this fit in with your plans?
How would you describe our discussion to someone else?
Please review for me.
What do you think this all amounts to?
Taking Action: What are you going to do about it?
Where do you go from here?
What are your next steps?
How do you plan to start?
Other: What can you do differently?
How could you do that differently?
If you had a “magic wish,” what would be different?
What would you be doing differently?
Why Questions: Be careful of “why” questions as they can lead to blame or perceived
accusations.
How did that come about? Or How did that happened” are more effective than
“why” questions.
Avoid Closed Ended Questions: Did you…? Are you…? Will you…?
Coming up with new conversation topics
Watch the world around you, and look for things that interest you. A broad vision of life will expand the subjects you will enjoy talking about.
Look for new friends in different walks of life or different backgrounds. Their perspectives, philosophies, and ideas may be interesting topics of conversation.
Listen to the people you talk with, and if they have unique interests, learn more about them.
Develop hobbies and look for clubs or organizations that support them. This will be a unique ground to learn and share ideas and thoughts as your knowledge grows.
Consider what you might have in common with this personDo you like the same music? Talk about your bands. Don't know what music they like? Ask them! Having stuff in common is the reason most people become friends.
Search for new perspectives in your own interests, and keep current on the leading edge of discoveries in those areas. When Pluto was declared a non-planet some months ago, you can be sure it was a hot topic in the astronomical community, but people on the streets were talking about it too.
Talk about food.
Study the reaction of people you normally talk with when you try to bring up new topics.
http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Talking-About-the-Same-Old-Things
http://www.quora.com/How-can-I-have-improve-my-conversation-skills
http://www.wikihow.com/Ask-Open-Ended-Questions
http://www.wikihow.com/Start-a-Conversation-with-a-Stranger
How to End a Conversation Without Being Rude
More specifically, what to say:
Wait for a pause and offer a handshake. As the other responds, say, “It was great talking with you” or “I have a few more things to do but I enjoyed our conversation. See you later.”
Offer an apology. “I don’t want to keep you any longer/I can see you’re busy, but it was good to see you.”
Smile and say goodbye. This will communicate you’re friendly. You could add something about being happy you’ve had a chance to talk.
If you want to see the other person again, suggest meeting in the near future. Be specific. “How about next Wednesday morning?” is better than “We’ll have to get together soon.”
Useful, civil phrases to remember:
I don't like saying something like "I have to leave" because then you have to leave and sometimes you might have a different reason for staying, but still need to end the conversation.
If you are waiting for a gap in the blah-blah-blah, and there doesn't seem to be one, wait for them to take a breath, and then quickly -- but politely -- explain that you have work to do, and that you'll catch them later. Saying you'll talk later is friendly, and most of the time, the person will have time to organize thoughts, so your follow-up conversation is shorter.
If they started the conversation, wait for a break in topics. Pauses in between thoughts are good places to tell the person you have to be somewhere or have to get something done. Note: Pauses in between thoughts does not mean waiting for the person to simply finish a sentence or say "Um..." You really should wait until they finish a thought, out of courtesy.
http://www.wikihow.com/End-a-Conversation
http://www.wikihow.com/End-a-Conversation-Without-Being-Rude
Wait for a pause and offer a handshake. As the other responds, say, “It was great talking with you” or “I have a few more things to do but I enjoyed our conversation. See you later.”
Offer an apology. “I don’t want to keep you any longer/I can see you’re busy, but it was good to see you.”
Smile and say goodbye. This will communicate you’re friendly. You could add something about being happy you’ve had a chance to talk.
If you want to see the other person again, suggest meeting in the near future. Be specific. “How about next Wednesday morning?” is better than “We’ll have to get together soon.”
Useful, civil phrases to remember:
- I’m afraid I’ve lost track of the time.
- I promised I’d meet [someone]; gotta run.
- I don’t want to keep you.
- This was fun but I’m running late.
- I wish we could talk some more but I'm running late.
I don't like saying something like "I have to leave" because then you have to leave and sometimes you might have a different reason for staying, but still need to end the conversation.
If you are waiting for a gap in the blah-blah-blah, and there doesn't seem to be one, wait for them to take a breath, and then quickly -- but politely -- explain that you have work to do, and that you'll catch them later. Saying you'll talk later is friendly, and most of the time, the person will have time to organize thoughts, so your follow-up conversation is shorter.
If they started the conversation, wait for a break in topics. Pauses in between thoughts are good places to tell the person you have to be somewhere or have to get something done. Note: Pauses in between thoughts does not mean waiting for the person to simply finish a sentence or say "Um..." You really should wait until they finish a thought, out of courtesy.
- Phrases such as, "Can we talk later?" are the best lines to use, because they still maintain a level of interest. But you have to at least ACT like you mean it. Don't be annoyed if the person calls later or tries to start up a conversation again. If you're already ducking the conversation with this person, don't be dragged in a second time! Quickly abort the situation by saying how swamped you are with work or school or home problems. Acting like you dislike your work, whatever the case, and seeming like you'd rather be talking to the person are good attitudes to try in this situation.
http://www.wikihow.com/End-a-Conversation
http://www.wikihow.com/End-a-Conversation-Without-Being-Rude
Giving up cooking dreams
I'm accepting that I don't have the time to invest into mastering culinary arts. I'm content with being able to cook enough to eat with a little variety. It'll be nice to develop a few specialty dishes that I can use for potlucks and dinners, but I have no intention of committing the time to become a Gordon Ramsey-level chef.
In addition, the number of dishes you know actually increases the total meals you can create by a combinatorial factor, rather than additive, because you can mix up which dishes go into a single meal!
In addition, the number of dishes you know actually increases the total meals you can create by a combinatorial factor, rather than additive, because you can mix up which dishes go into a single meal!
Some lessons from NFL
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap1000000208418/article/antonio-cromartie-now-mentoring-ny-jets-rookies
having "too much confidence" is a little like the guy who says in the job interview that his greatest flaw is "trying to do too much." That's ultimately what you want.
having "too much confidence" is a little like the guy who says in the job interview that his greatest flaw is "trying to do too much." That's ultimately what you want.
"I tell the young guys, 'Don't spend any money the first year and a half of your career,'" Cromartie said. "You don't know what will happen after that. You might be released. You might be hurt. Just save your money."
After his financial revolution, Schwartz said his retirement is funded fully to age 100 and all his children will be taken care of through college.
Charisma of Chris Kluwe
Kluwe is well known as an avid Guitar Hero 2 player, having once made an appearance on Minnesota's 93X radio station while playing the game with Andy McNamara from Game Informer magazine.[10] He is also a frequent guest on Minnesota sports station KFAN for "Video Games Weekly" on Wednesday nights. During a KFAN interview on the PA and Dubay show, he admitted he was not very good at sports games.
Kluwe at one time immersed himself in the MMORPG World of Warcraft, playing a troll rogue named Loate[11] and has been a member of one of the formerly top-ranked US guilds, The Flying Hellfish, for over four years.[12] Kluwe is not currently active as a player in WoW, but very actively plays other computer games, both on-line and off-line, and occasionally writes game reviews for gaming magazines. Kluwe is also active in fantasy board gaming and card gaming and owns a store in Costa Mesa, CA (Mercenary Market) that is dedicated to non-computer related fantasy games. In recognition of his support for fantasy gaming, Wizards of the Coast in 2012 developed a specific player card for the Magic: The Gathering game based on Kluwe's Loate troll character.
Lessons from computational origami
http://www.wimp.com/magicorigami/
Take your problems and turn them into problems that other people have solved.
Origami = graph theory
Real world applications:
medicine
science
space - solar array
body
consumer electronics
good for making something small for journey, big and sheet-like at the destination (great for body/health (heart stent), space), and efficient airbag flattening.
"as weird as it may sound, origami may someday save a life"
Take your problems and turn them into problems that other people have solved.
Origami = graph theory
Real world applications:
medicine
science
space - solar array
body
consumer electronics
good for making something small for journey, big and sheet-like at the destination (great for body/health (heart stent), space), and efficient airbag flattening.
"as weird as it may sound, origami may someday save a life"
Saturday 1 June 2013
Things to give up
2. Give up your need for control.
3. Give up on blame.
4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk.
5. Give up your limiting beliefs
6. Give up complaining
7. Give up the luxury of criticism.
10. Give up labels
11. Give up on your fears.
12. Give up your excuses.
13. Give up the past.
http://worldobserveronline.com/2012/04/25/15-things-you-should-give-up-to-be-happy/
3. Give up on blame.
4. Give up your self-defeating self-talk.
5. Give up your limiting beliefs
6. Give up complaining
7. Give up the luxury of criticism.
10. Give up labels
11. Give up on your fears.
12. Give up your excuses.
13. Give up the past.
http://worldobserveronline.com/2012/04/25/15-things-you-should-give-up-to-be-happy/
Interface development software
a cross-platform application framework that is widely used for developing application software with a graphical user interface (GUI) (in which cases Qt is classified as a widget toolkit), and also used for developing non-GUI programs such as command-line tools and consoles for servers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qt_(framework)
http://qt.digia.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qt_(framework)
http://qt.digia.com/
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