Friday, December 23, 2016
Friday, December 9, 2016
7 Tips for Getting More Responses to Your Emails (With Data!) | Boomerang: Email Productivity
I think that this is interesting information about writing emails. I intend to use it when I can.
It would apply to social media posts also.
Did this information help you in writing emails and posts?
7 Tips for Getting More Responses to Your Emails (With Data!) | Boomerang: Email Productivity
It would apply to social media posts also.
Did this information help you in writing emails and posts?
7 Tips for Getting More Responses to Your Emails (With Data!) | Boomerang: Email Productivity
Sunday, November 13, 2016
What So Many People Don’t Get About the U.S. Working Class
The author of this article is a person after my own heart. She succinctly writes about what I know and believe.
"Class migrants (white-collar professionals born to blue-collar families) report that “professional people were generally suspect” and that managers are college kids “who don’t know shit about how to do anything but are full of ideas about how I have to do my job,” said Alfred Lubrano in Limbo". (The college kid managers comment applies to those managers who have never done any "blue collar" work.)
As I wrote in one of my earlier posts, I was one of the first in my extended working class family to graduate from college. In the beginning I planned to get a professional degree in engineering but my academic talents and aptitude channeled me into a different area of study that resulted in my getting a B,A, degree in Government and History.
By the time I had graduated from high school I had hoed and picked cotton, milked cows in a dairy, plowed with a farm tractor, cleared brush and moved dirt with a bulldozer, worked in a milk processing plant. and worked in a grocery store.
During my college years I worked in construction, did apartment maintenance, washed dishes and served food in a boarding house, worked as a pin boy at the university student union, and was a mail carrier and processor at the university mail room. After receiving a B.A. degree I was a Peace Corps Volunteer, a county juvenile probation officer, an Agency for International Development personal services contractor, a welder's helper for a pipeline construction company, a produce shed maintenance worker, a social worker, a social work supervisor, a social services program manager, a state agency assistant business manager, an IT consultant and business owner, and a residential property owner and manager.
However, I do not believe that I have never been identified as, nor consisted myself to be, a "professional".
All in all I am definitely a member of the middle class described in this article.
Monday, October 10, 2016
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
Will the American Republic be destroyed? Some people think so. What about you? Look at our history. I hope we can continue to be republican (Note the small "r") patriots and preserve our republic.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/10/neither-trump-nor-clinton-is-the-end-of-the-republic/501971/?utm_source=nl-politics-daily-100416
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Friday, September 9, 2016
Sunday, September 4, 2016
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
21 RULES FOR LIVING A GOOD OLD AGE
21 RULES FOR LIVING A GOOD OLD AGE
(Adapted from an email I received from an old friend who I met about 50 years ago, Richard B.
1. It's time to use the money you saved up. Use it and enjoy it. Don't just keep it for those who may have no notion of the sacrifices you made to get it. Remember there is nothing more dangerous than a son or daughter-in-law with big ideas for your hard earned capital. Enjoy the present moment. The sand in the clock may run out at any moment.
2. Stop worrying about the financial situation of your children and grandchildren. You've taken care of them for many years, and you've taught them what you could. You gave them an education, food, shelter and support. The responsibility is now theirs to earn their way.
3. Keep a healthy life with moderate exercise (like walking every day), eat well and get your sleep. It's easy to become sick, and it gets harder to remain healthy. Keep in touch with your doctor, get tested even when you're feeling well. Stay informed.
4. Always buy the best, most beautiful items for your significant other. The key goal is to enjoy your money with your partner. One day one of you will miss the other, and the money will not provide any comfort then. Enjoy it together.
5. Don't stress over the little things. You've already overcome so much in your life. You have good memories and bad ones, but the important thing is the present. Don't let the past drag you down or the future frighten you.
6. Regardless of age, always keep love alive. Love your partner, love life, love your family, love your neighbor, your surroundings, your country. We are never old as long as we have intelligence and affection.
7. Be proud, both inside and out. Don't stop going to your hair salon or barber. Do your nails, go to the dermatologist and the dentist. Keep your perfumes and creams well stocked. When you are well-maintained on the outside, it seeps in, making you feel proud and strong on the inside.
8. Don't lose sight of fashion trends for your age, but keep your own sense of style. There's nothing sillier than an older person trying to wear the current fashion among youngsters. You've developed your own sense of what looks good on you - keep it and be proud of it. It's part of who you are.
9. Read newspapers, watch the news. Go online and read what people are saying. Make sure you have an active email account and try to use some of those social networks. You'll be surprised which old friends you'll meet. Keeping in touch with what is going on and with the people you know is important at any age.
10. Respect the younger generation and their opinions. They may not have the same viewpoints as ours, but they are the future and will take the world in their direction. Give advice, not criticism, and try to remind them of yesterday's wisdom that still applies today.
11. Never use the phrase: "In my time." Your time is now. As long as you're alive, you are part of this time. You have been younger, but you are still you now, having fun and enjoying life.
12. Some people embrace their golden years, while others become bitter and surly. Life is too short to waste your days in the latter mode. Spend your time with positive, cheerful people, it'll rub off on you and your days will seem that much better. Spending your time with bitter people will make you older and harder to be around.
13. Do not surrender to the temptation of living with your children or grandchildren (if you have a financial choice, that is). Sure, being surrounded by family sounds great, but we all need our privacy. They need theirs and you need yours. If you've lost your partner (our deepest condolences), then find a person to move in with you and help out only if you feel you really need the help or do not want to live alone.
14. Don't abandon your hobbies. If you don't have any, make new ones. You can travel, hike, cook, read, dance. You can adopt a cat or a dog, grow a garden, play cards, checkers, chess dominoes, golf. You can paint, volunteer at an NGO or collect certain items. Find something you like and spend some real time having fun with it.
15. Even if you don't feel like it, try to accept invitations. Baptisms, graduations, birthdays, weddings, conferences. Try to go. Get out of the house, meet people you haven't seen in a while, experience something new (or something old). But don't get upset when you're not invited. Some events are limited by resources, and not everyone can be hosted. The important thing is to leave the house from time to time. Go to museums, go walk through a field. Get out there.
16. Be a conversationalist. Talk less and listen more. Some people go on and on about the past, not caring if their listeners are really interested. That's a great way of reducing the desire to speak with you. Listen first and answer questions, but don't go off into long stories unless asked to. Speak in courteous tones and try not to complain or criticize too much unless you really need to. Try to accept situations as they are. Everyone is going through the same things, and people have a low tolerance for hearing complaints. Always find some good things to say as well.
17. Pain and discomfort go hand in hand with getting older. Try not to dwell on them but accept them as a part of the cycle of life we're all going through. Try to minimize them in your mind. They are not who you are, they are something that life added to you. If they become your entire focus, you lose sight of the person you used to be.
18. If you've been offended by others, forgive them. If you've offended someone - apologize. Don't drag resentment around with you. It will make you sad and bitter. It doesn't matter who was right. Someone once said, "Holding a grudge is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die." Don't take that poison. Forgive and move on with your life.
19. If you have a strong belief, savor it. But don't waste your time trying to convince others. They will make their own choices no matter what you tell them, and it will only bring you frustration. Live your faith and set an example. Live true to your beliefs and let that memory sway them.
20. Laugh. Laugh A LOT. Laugh at everything. Remember, you are one of the lucky ones. You managed to have a life, a long one. Many never get to this age, never get to experience a full life. But you did. So what's not to laugh about? Find the humor in your situation.
21. Take no notice of what others say about you and even less of what they might be thinking. They'll do it anyway, and you should have pride in yourself and what you've achieved. Let them talk and don't worry. They have no idea about your history, your memories and the life you've lived so far. There's still much to be written, so get busy writing and don't waste time thinking about what others might think. Now is the time to be free, at peace and as happy as you can be!
Sunday, August 28, 2016
All Mixed Up: What Do We Call People Of Multiple Backgrounds? : Code Switch : NPR
A dissertation regarding words about multiraciality in the world. "In Brazil, where multiraciality is assumed, the options are colorful: cor de canela, cor de rosa, cor de crema, cor de burro quando foge (the color of a donkey as it runs away)."
All Mixed Up: What Do We Call People Of Multiple Backgrounds? : Code Switch : NPR
All Mixed Up: What Do We Call People Of Multiple Backgrounds? : Code Switch : NPR
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Are you ready for it?
Welcome to the exponential age!In 1998, Kodak had 170,000 employees and sold 85% of all photo paper worldwide. Within just a few years, their business model disappeared and they got bankrupt.
What happened to Kodak will happen in a lot of industries in the next 10 year - and most people don't see it coming. Did you think in 1998 that 3 years later you would never take pictures on paper film again?
Yet digital cameras were invented in 1975. The first ones only had 10,000 pixels, but followed Moore's law. So as with all exponential technologies, it was a disappointment for a long time, before it became way superior and got mainstream in only a few short years. It will now happen with Artificial Intelligence, health, autonomous and electric cars, education, 3D printing, agriculture and jobs. Welcome to the 4th Industrial Revolution.
Welcome to the 'Exponential Age'.Software will disrupt most traditional industries in the next 5-10 years.
'Uber' is just a software tool, they don't own any cars, and are now the biggest taxi company in the world. 'Airbnb' is now the biggest hotel company in the world, although they don't own any properties.Artificial Intelligence: Computers become exponentially better in understanding the world. This year, a computer beat the best 'Go' player in the world, 10 years earlier than expected. In the US, young lawyers already don't get jobs. Because of IBM Watson, you can get legal advice (so far for more or less basic stuff) within seconds, with 90% accuracy compared with 70% accuracy when done by humans. So if you study law, stop immediately. There will be 90% less lawyers in the future, only specialists will remain.
'Watson' already helps nurses diagnosing cancer, 4 time more accurate than human nurses. 'Facebook' now has a pattern recognition software that can recognize faces better than humans. In 2030, computers will become more intelligent than humans.Autonomous cars: In 2018 the first self-driving cars will appear for the public. Around 2020, the complete industry will start to be disrupted. You don't want to own a car anymore. You will call a car with your phone, it will show up at your location and drive you to your destination. You will not need to park it, you only pay for the driven distance and can be productive while driving. Our kids will never get a driver's license and will never own a car. It will change the cities, because we will need 90-95% less cars for that. We can transform former parking space into parks. About 1.3 million people die each year in car accidents worldwide. We now have one accident every 100,000 km, with autonomous driving that will drop to one accident in 10 million km. That will save a million lives each year.
How will teenagers go 'parking' without cars?Most car companies might become bankrupt. Traditional car companies try the evolutionary approach and just build a better car, while tech companies (Tesla, Apple, Google) will do the revolutionary approach and build a computer on wheels. I spoke to a lot of engineers from Volkswagen and Audi; they are completely terrified of Tesla.Insurance companies will have massive trouble because without accidents, the insurance will become 100x cheaper. Their car insurance business model will disappear.
Real estate will change. Because if you can work while you commute, people will move farther away to live in a more beautiful neighborhood.
Won't need as many garages if fewer people have cars, so living in the city may become more attractive as people like being around other people. That won't change?
Electric cars will become mainstream until 2020. Cities will be less noisy because all cars will run on electric. Electricity will become incredibly cheap and clean: Solar production has been on an exponential curve for 30 years, but you can only now see the impact. Last year, more solar energy was installed worldwide than fossil. The price for solar will drop so much that all coal companies will be out of business by 2025.
What will we do to make eyes and buttons for our snowman ?
With cheap electricity comes cheap and abundant water. Desalination now only needs 2kWh per cubic meter. We don't have scarce water in most places, we only have scarce drinking water. Imagine what will be possible if anyone can have as much clean water as he wants, for nearly no cost.Health: The Tricorder X price will be announced this year. There will be companies who will build a medical device (called the "Tricorder" from Star Trek) that works with your phone, which takes your retina scan, your blood sample and your breath into it. It then analyses 54 bio-markers that will identify nearly any disease. It will be cheap, so in a few years everyone on this planet will have access to world class medicine, nearly for free.3D printing: The price of the cheapest 3D printer came down from 18,000$ to 400$ within 10 years. In the same time, it became 100 times faster. All major shoe companies started 3D printing shoes. Spare airplane parts are already 3D printed in remote airports. The space station now has a printer that eliminates the need for the large amount of spare parts they used to have in the past.
At the end of this year, new smartphones will have 3D scanning possibilities. You can then 3D scan your feet and print your perfect shoe at home. In China, they already 3D printed a complete 6-story office building. By 2027, 10% of everything that's being produced will be 3D printed.Business opportunities: If you think of a niche you want to go in, ask yourself: "in the future, do you think we will have that?" and if the answer is yes, how can you make that happen sooner? If it doesn't work with your phone, forget the idea. And any idea designed for success in the 20th century is doomed to failure in the 21st century.
The world's oldest profession will still be around, unless replacement robots are created.
Work: 70-80% of jobs will disappear in the next 20 years. There will be a lot of new jobs, but it is not clear if there will be enough new jobs in such a small time.Agriculture: There will be a $100 agricultural robot in the future. Farmers in 3rd world countries can then become managers of their field instead of working all days on their fields. Agroponics will need much less water. The first petri dish produced veal is now available and will be cheaper than cow produced veal in 2018. Right now, 30% of all agricultural surfaces is used for cows. Imagine if we don't need that space anymore. There are several startups who will bring insect protein to the market shortly. It contains more protein than meat. It will be labeled as "alternative protein source" (because most people still reject the idea of eating insects).There is an app called "moodies" which can already tell in which mood you are. By 2020 there will be apps that can tell by your facial expressions if you are lying. Imagine a political debate where it's being displayed when they are telling the truth and when not.Bitcoin will become mainstream this year and might even become the default reserve currency.Longevity: Right now, the average life span increases by 3 months per year. Four years ago, the life span used to be 79 years, now it's 80 years. The increase itself is increasing and by 2036, there will be more that one year increase per year. So we all might live for a long long time, probably way more than 100.
The world has always had an overpopulation problem within recent history, and all this will make it worse. Technology may grow by leaps and bounds, but human acculturation will not. We will have the same political greed for power and control, others kicking back, and wars will continue. The new technology will be evident in the tools of war, and the death rate could be staggering. Continued overpopulation will make cemeteries unpopular and there will be a push to replace them with something that does not take up space. Or continuing rent will need be paid to stay there.Education: The cheapest smartphones are already at $10 in Africa and Asia. Until 2020, 70% of all humans will own a smartphone. That means, everyone has the same access to world class education. Every child can use Khan academy for everything a child learns at school in First World countries. We have already released our software in Indonesia and will release it in Arabic, Swaheli and Chinese this Summer, because I see an enormous potential. We will give the English app for free, so that children in Africa can become fluent in English within half a year.
This assumes kids want to learn rather than play games on their phones and just socialize!
"Great minds discuss ideas;
average minds discuss events;
small minds discuss people."
Eleanor Roosevelt
Friday, August 12, 2016
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Monday, July 25, 2016
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