Twitter had about 1 million users in March of 2008. In the past year, twitter has experienced great success- to the tune of 13 million accounts.
Sir Ken Robinson Speaks at the Creative Company Conference
KBIRI.NL - Sir Ken Robinson @ Creative Company Conference from KBIRI on Vimeo.
Speaking about his book, The Element, Robinson has a lot of wisdom and advice on Higher Education, Los Angeles, and the human imagination among many other things. It's well worth your time.
Work With Your Hands
The New York Times Magazine never ceases to provide great articles every Sunday. This past Sunday's edition (featuring Conan O'Brien in the cover story) also has a great little essay by Matthew Crawford, who adapted his article from his new book, Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work.
Among many of his tales of deconstructing motorcycles, fixing bikes, and writing summaries for academic papers, he provides some great advice that everyone should listen to:
I agree with Mr. Crawford when he says that we should all learn a trade-- something that is "hand-intensive". One of the great joys of being an architecture student is the requirement to think critically, yet requires one to work hands-on.A good job requires a field of action where you can put your best capacities to work and see an effect in the world. Academic credentials do not guarantee this.Nor can big business or big government — those idols of the right and the left — reliably secure such work for us. Everyone is rightly concerned about economic growth on the one hand or unemployment and wages on the other, but the character of work doesn’t figure much in political debate. Labor unions address important concerns like workplace safety and family leave, and management looks for greater efficiency, but on the nature of the job itself, the dominant political and economic paradigms are mute. Yet work forms us, and deforms us, with broad public consequences.The visceral experience of failure seems to have been edited out of the career trajectories of gifted students. It stands to reason, then, that those who end up making big decisions that affect all of us don’t seem to have much sense of their own fallibility, and of how badly things can go wrong even with the best of intentions (like when I dropped that feeler gauge down into the Ninja). In the boardrooms of Wall Street and the corridors of Pennsylvania Avenue, I don’t think you’ll see a yellow sign that says “Think Safety!” as you do on job sites and in many repair shops, no doubt because those who sit on the swivel chairs tend to live remote from the consequences of the decisions they make. Why not encourage gifted students to learn a trade, if only in the summers, so that their fingers will be crushed once or twice before they go on to run the country?
Moments of elation are counterbalanced with failures, and these, too, are vivid, taking place right before your eyes. With stakes that are often high and immediate, the manual trades elicit heedful absorption in work. They are punctuated by moments of pleasure that take place against a darker backdrop: a keen awareness of catastrophe as an always-present possibility. The core experience is one of individual responsibility, supported by face-to-face interactions between tradesman and customer.If you've been following along so far, you might realize that Crawford is not the first person to cite this hands-on mentality. From time to time, I turn to my copy of Robert Pirsig's Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, a book that has been on South Mountain College's reading list in the past. (Oddly enough, both books mentioned in this post have subtitles that mention that the book is an"inquiry" into some "value") His 1974 novel also brings to light the increasing amount of technology in society and the subsequent dismissal of "becoming one with the activity".
Thanks to financial pressures, everyone is returning to a more savvy lifestyle- buzzwords like "slow food" and "sustainability" reflect our thriftiness in an economical and environmental sense. Here's to weekend projects!
Construction.com Videos
McGraw-Hill Publishing Company has compiled a small but growing collection of Architecture and Construction related videos for all to enjoy. I personally like their "Firms in Focus" channel, which currently highlights the great Richard Meier's firm and also the firm Howeler+Yoon, which is currently doing a project involving something called a "spatial valve:"
LEGO Architecture Models
Legos are great for introducing kids to 3D modeling. For those looking for something more "down to earth" than the LEGO Death Star, here's something you'll enjoy. Brickstructures, a company that constructs special scale LEGO models of famous buildings...now a few of them are available on their site to order and build yourself. Each model was designed with the consultation of "leading architects" and include beautiful booklets including historical photographs and plans.
Don't forget to check out their more intensive models...I'm personally a fan of the Chicago Spire.
Brown And White Editorial by Gwen Purdom
Because I did not want to botch this up, I copied the whole essay for your reading pleasure:
LINK: The Brown & White - Edit desk: Lehigh admissions
Edit Desk: Lehigh Admissions
By: Gwen Purdom
Posted: 4/24/09
A few weeks ago, my mom and I had our fifth, and final, New York Mother-Daughter Bonding Weekend of my Lehigh career. On our first evening in the city I couldn't help but overhear the conversation drifting toward me from the next table. A woman and her daughter were recapping the potential college options they had visited so far that weekend. I took a similar trip as a high school junior and could see my younger self in the unmistakable excitement and terror the girl exuded. With my four years of college coming to a close and her collegiate journey just beginning, I jumped in to impart my best "what I wish I knew then" wisdom to the stranger and her mother.
The encounter got me thinking about my own excitement and terror in the face of my impending voyage into adulthood. Four and a half years ago I spent weeks pouring over my Lehigh admissions application and for the past months it's been job applications that have created a looming cloud of anxious uncertainty. So, determined to find some insight in this cyclical coincidence, I decided to do some digging. With the help of my mom's packrat tendencies, I unearthed an extra copy of my original Lehigh admissions application. I perused the forms, recalling the carefully crafted responses I prayed would bring me to Lehigh. Now, with the seasoned eyes of a soon-to-be college graduate, I am able to consider the questions in a whole new light.
"Step out the front door of your home and tell us what you would change about what you see." "In choosing a college, you are making one of the biggest decisions of your life. Tell us what you have learned about yourself or other people in the process."
Sound familiar seniors?
But it is the general short-answer question that seems the ripest for reexamination: "Lehigh is well known for high quality academics, a beautiful campus, and a spirited student body. Describe your academic and extracurricular interests and how Lehigh is a good match for you." How would I answer differently now, after four unforgettable years of college?
Academically, my years in Lehigh's classrooms have opened my eyes to perspectives and passions I had never tapped. During my freshman year, a professor advised that students should only take classes they find truly interesting. I have followed his advice and can honestly say every course has challenged me to look at the world a little differently. My semester in Italy allowed me to find myself in the chaos of the unknown. Lehigh has been a place where I've been able to hone my academic talents, channel my interests and engage in academic discourse.
Lehigh's beautiful campus is no secret to prospective students, but it takes a true Mountain Hawk to recognize the subtle nuances. The crisp breeze that ruffles the canopy of colors shading the UC lawn each fall; the view from Rathbone on Chicken Finger Friday; the curving downhill tracks left by dinner trays after the first snow; the smell of charcoal and burgers that floods the Hill every spring. Towering stone turrets make for picture-perfect brochures, but I've found it's the little details that really make the campus the breathtaking place it is.
Describing the student body as "spirited" seems fitting. Tailgates often draw a bigger crowd than the game itself and yet, there still exists a feeling of pride in our school and connection within our community. Rumors fly of divisions - Greek vs. non-Greek, arts and sciences vs. business, house against house - that no doubt exist, but in my experience, the people I've encountered here are working to change those assumptions. Living with your peers during one of the most transformational periods of your life builds lasting bonds. My sorority sisters have supported me through midterms and heartbreaks. The men of Lehigh have been friends, confidants and crushes. My professors have offered connections to the web of possibilities the future holds. My freshman roommate, a stranger on move-in day, is still my best friend.
Ultimately, I'd have to agree with my former self that Lehigh has been a perfect match for me. Whether it's the late nights I've spent in the Brown and White newsroom or the spontaneous games of SPUD we've played on East Fifth, I can't imagine a better place to have spent these crucial years. Okay, so my revised answer may be cheesy, but it's my last week of senior year and I'm drunk on nostalgia. Four and a half years from now I will likely be brimming with insight in case I meet a restless graduating senior, but for now I can only look back at the tools Lehigh has given me. A new path is about to unfold, leading me away from the Lehigh bubble and into the uncharted world of the grown-ups. At least this time I won't have to wait for that acceptance letter.
© Copyright 2009 The Brown & White
South Mountain College Investigations Mindmap
As part of South Mountain College's final project this year, I helped design an extensive mindmap that shows the contributions my classmates and I have made to the program over the past academic year.
Hint: you can zoom in. Also, click the far right button on the Scribd toolbar to open the document in a full screen mode.
Wolfram Alpha: Pretty Awesome
Wolfram, the company that brought you Mathematica, introduced a great new web service called Alpha.
Need a calculus equation derived? Enter it in. (for example: x^2 sin(x))
Your "results" include:
Your "results" include:
- The equation plotted
- Alternate forms of the equation
- The roots of the equation
- Series Expansion
- Derivatives, Integrals
- Maximums and Minimums
- Series Representation
- Integral Representation
It's a cool tool for calculus students everywhere. However, the wonder does not stop here. The "Knowledge Engine" is pretty intuitive:
Alpha can compare stocks: Entering 2 stock quotes will give you a table with all the necessary financial data for each company: Income, revenue, P/E Ratios, dividends, and side-by-side comparisons of cash flow statements.
Enter in a city, and get statistics.
Type in a date: Alpha calculates the time since that date, the sunrise/sunset times on that date at your current location, etc.
Thanks to Alpha, I now know that over the past 5 years, Apple's stock has provided investors with a 819% return. Also, there are 1.5x10^25 molecules of water in 356ml of water. Cool!
College Presidents Apply to Their Own Colleges
The May 6th Wall Street Journal had an interesting and refreshing article on the college admissions process. Their challenge requires presidents of various colleges to complete the essay section of their school’s application. Upon reflection, some offered some very astute advice:
“Stop trying to come up with the perfect topic, write about personally meaningful themes rather than flashy ones, and don't force a subject to be dramatic when it isn't.”
Click the link to see the full article and links to the Presidents’ essays. I personally loved Barnard President Debora Spar’s essay on daily routines.
The New Origami
Simon Shubert brings "paper folding" to a new level by creating images using delicate folds in a sheet of paper:
Isn't contrast wonderful?
LINK: Simon Shubert's Folded Paper
Isn't contrast wonderful?LINK: Simon Shubert's Folded Paper
The Slow Death of Newspapers and the Kindle
As if the newspapers didn't have enough problems, the last thing universities should do is discontinue their on-campus deliveries. One of my routines, started when I was an International Relations major my freshman year, was to read the New York Times every day. Papers were available in the dinning hall during breakfast, lunch, or better yet, the copies are delivered straight to your dorm's lobby.
If the slow decline of the newspaper industry wasn't bad enough, the slow economy is making it worse. Lehigh University, in an effort to cut back on costs, has decided to discontinue our student newspaper deliveries. The University slyly notified everyone throug a memo in the Daily Announcements email. This service provided free weekday copies of The USA Today, The New York Times, and Lehigh Valley's local newspaper, the Allentown Morning Call. The New York Times is especially popular on campus; some of my friends used to do the crosswords every morning.
This is a disappointment. Universities all around the nation participate in these programs. Unfortunately, the rough economy has forced everyone to revaluate their priorities. For newspapers it's just another nail in the coffin.
One possible option for making this situation better is to modify the remaining printed newspaper on campus, The Brown and White, to feature a broader scale of news. Unfortunately Lehigh is no Penn State in terms of sheer numbers: our journalism deptartment is relatively small and does not currently have the staffing to put out a paper like Penn State's Daily Collegian.
An even better solution: Kindles!
Amazon's newest eBook reader, the Kindle DX, has a large, high-contrast black and white screen and the ability to view PDFs as well as books from Amazon's own collection --including newspapers!.
I think Lehigh will eventually require every student to purchase a Kindle upon arrival. Upfront cost: about 300 to 400 dollars. Eventually, publishers will cave in to the Kindle's electronic abilities and charge less for textbooks: reducing the cost, I estimate, to 30 bucks a book.
200 dollars a semester sounds better than the 800 some students shell out now to get textbooks. In addition, all the book buying occurs wirelessly and electronically; the books are downloaded straight to your Kindle. No more waiting up to 2 weeks to get used books! Better yet: move to an open courseware model like MIT and make all the course materials free and/or available as PDFs!
200 dollars a semester sounds better than the 800 some students shell out now to get textbooks. In addition, all the book buying occurs wirelessly and electronically; the books are downloaded straight to your Kindle. No more waiting up to 2 weeks to get used books! Better yet: move to an open courseware model like MIT and make all the course materials free and/or available as PDFs!
