Why EMPs don't "directly" affect biological systems

Biological systems generate electrons through chemical processes. EMPs cause damage to electronics because the magnetic pulses generated cause an induced current (Maxwell's equations) in the wires, which become overwhelmed and burn up/melt due to the amount of energy contained within the pulse. Since humans don't naturally contain wires, their functions still work because nothing melts internally.

However, there may be other effects that affect neural and physiological processes, or result from chain reactions caused by EMPs, so it's not to say that humans are completely impervious from EMPs.

Mechanical mechanisms

The best museum of mechanisms I've seen so far is the science museum in Boston.


http://pie.exploratorium.edu/scrapbook/mechanisms/

http://www.pdnotebook.com/wp-content/themes/thesis_16/custom/images/Five_hundred_and_seven_mechanical_moveme.pdf

Always add your contact info to presentations

Name and email are especially essential so people can follow up with you if they're interested!

Can't Avoid Business

Professors have to do a lot of business tasks, as much as any entrepreneur or investor would. At conferences and client meetings, they are expected to bring back money and grants, in order to fund future projects.

It's possible to find jobs where you spend your time focusing on work, but the people who are in charge of projects will always be on the lookout for business.

Resolution: 4 hours per day per active project

I discussed with Monica a while ago why athletes spend the majority of their time training physically - developing their skills - whereas scientists spending so much time on emails/communication rather than whatever-it-is that scientists do, but then i realized that the collaboration and exchange of ideas is just as much a part of the job.

But, I also think it's important to have time to yourself to think, reflect, and produce. Ideally, I will spend 4 good hours by myself per project per day. The rest of the time can be used for discussion with others, collaboration with others, doing other personal things like email, reflecting, thinking. But 4 hours a day per project isolated work time is a good way to get things done (plus, it also places an implicit limitation on the number of ongoing projects you should have at one time).

Note: I'm a firm believer that people operate in very different ways and that there does not exist a single system method which will work optimally for all people. With that said, this is my personal system. It may or may not work for you, but in the end it's important to find a system that works for you and stick with it.

Social: Scheduling Meetings

Be very clear.

Start by suggesting a time or what your top preferences are, but always provide a schedule of your availability of the few days around the desired time. Explicitly differentiate between am and pm and state both the day of the week and the calendar date.

It's okay if you make other appointments in the meantime, because at least they can reply with a few options and it will reduce the overall number of emails exchanged to set up the meeting.

It's also very helpful to provide an expected duration, as well as an agenda.

Productivity: Collaboration

Before people  with expertise worldwide will collaborate with you, you must demonstrate that you can either get things done or provide resources like money for them to get things done

Social: Housemates

11/5
Living with many people is hard due to different levels of standards with which people live. It's best to live by yourself or with one other person who behaves similarly to you in:

• sleep schedule
• noise tolerance
• cleanliness
• cooking habits
• suitable temperature
• utilities usage

Social: Hazing Culture Starts at the Top

Hazing culture is something that people at the top influence.  "It’s a never-ending cycle of broken people, creating more broken people."

"I thought they would cut my hair when I came to Pittsburgh, but it was the exact opposite here," Polamalu said Tuesday on ESPN's "The Herd with Colin Cowherd." "Guys accepted me with open arms. Anything I needed whether it was a car, whether it was to sleep at their house -- and we only return that favor now that I'm a veteran on the team. Any young guy, whether they need a car or a house or some extra spending cash, whatever it may be we try our best to help them."

According to Polamalu, Steelers veterans voluntarily take young players under their wings to teach them "how to be professional, how to take care of your body, how to train, how to learn the defense, the offense, whatever it may be."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000277343/article/troy-polamalu-ben-watson-offer-takes-on-nfl-hazing
http://elitedaily.com/women/good-girls-become-unicorns-response-unicorn/

Social: Timeline on Asking for Help

When you make requests for other people, always provide a day to get back by. Don't feel bad if it's soon - it's important for them to know so that they can plan ahead. Just be understanding if it's too short notice and have a backup plan.

Obs: Project Demos

Doesn't take much work to get cool looking demos. Related to the 80/20 rule, but you can get viable demos without much work (in the context of startups), which is perfectly okay because before you invest too much of your own time into a project, you should be able to demonstrate that it's feasible and that people are interested in it.

Resolution: Introspection

If something's not working the way you way you want it to, do something about it. Step back and analyze what's wrong, and make a change. Don't keep using the same behavior because then you won't improve.

Grad School Advice Websites

Lots of anecdotal advice:
http://www.pgbovine.net/grad-school-app-tips.htm

Timeline for grad application:
https://sites.google.com/site/gradappadvice/

Education: Specialization

11/5
Today I asked Carly what will happen in the future when jobs become so specialized that it takes an eternity to learn all the necessary background and be able to contribute. She gave me a very logical answer: everything will become more specialized in terms of education since there will be so much to learn before catching up to the present state of any field. People will have to choose their professions much earlier on and there will be less of an emphasis on equal opportunity in careers, like the situation in the UK.

Education: After College

11/5
I've heard from multiple sources that it's significantly harder to find people with tech interests outside of school. I think that this is particularly true if you don't put any effort into finding suitable groups. Websites like meetup.com and other tech gathering/startup meetups are great for finding like-minded people. Of course, it won't be the same persistent environment, but it's better than nothing.

Personally, I find the school environment hard to beat as long as the emphasis is not on classes, but instead crazy ideas.

Education: Presenting Science in an Entertaining Way

Britney Spears Semiconductor tutorial:
http://britneyspears.ac/lasers.htm

Machine Learning presented like ads:
http://oneweirdkerneltrick.com/

Social: Thanking Lecturers

11/5
A habit I want to better reinforce is to thank my [guest] lecturers and seminar presenters after their talks via email. This gives us an opportunity to communicate in the future, and also allows me to ask more questions, give feedback, or point out helpful takeaways from the talk.

Thoughts on: Hyperloop

11/5
Hyperloop is very intriguing but there seems to be a lot of logistical infrastructure problems with it at the moment, especially maintaining the system and occupying airspace. Looking forward to what happens! The two year timeline seems ambitious at a glance, but nothing worth working for is easy.



References:
http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/startup-sets-sights-rapid-transit-hyperloop-prototype-2015-8C11502210

Motivation: Humanoid Robots

"Today’s robot designers believe that their creations will become therapists, caregivers, guides and security guards, and will ultimately perform virtually any form of human labor.

The key to this advance is the new robots’ form. Roboticists say they are choosing the human form for both social and technical reasons. Robots that operate indoors, in particular, must be able to navigate a world full of handles, switches, levers and doors that have been designed for humans

Roboticists also point out that humans have an affinity for their own shape, easing transitions and making collaboration more natural. Creating robots in humanoid form also simplifies training and partnerships in the workplace, and increases their potential in new applications like caregiving. "

source: http://www.kurzweilai.net/making-robots-more-like-us-2