Team 2528 Match Schedule

Hi all!

The qualification matches for the Chesapeake Regional are Friday (April 4th) and Saturday (April 5th). You can stream the event here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/frc-chesapeake-regional-2014

Our schedule includes 11 matches. The approximate match times and match numbers are below. The row color corresponds to the alliance & our bumper color for that match. Look for #2528.

Date/Time	Match #	Color
Friday 09:06	02	RED
Friday 10:12	13	RED
Friday 11:24	25	RED
Friday 13:30	35	BLUE
Friday 14:18	43	BLUE
Friday 15:00	50	BLUE
Friday 15:36	56	RED
Friday 16:24	64	BLUE
Saturday 09:30	77	BLUE
Saturday 10:30	87	RED
Saturday 11:00	92	BLUE

Entire match schedule: http://www2.usfirst.org/2014comp/events/MDBA/ScheduleQual.html
Match results: http://www2.usfirst.org/2014comp/events/MDBA/matchresults.html

Have fun watching!
~J^3

Aerial Assist

Gather around friends and family. In less than 48 hours, robots are going to take the field and throw exercise balls high into goals, and area high school teams will be working hard to win the FIRST FRC Chesapeake Regional!

Another of six-week long build season has come to close and we are well into the competitions. This week is week #6 and the Robodoves of Western High School will be competing at our local regional. Here's a picture of our robot from a couple weeks back at the North Carolina regional competition. We came home with the Judges Award!

This Friday & Saturday (April 4 & 5), the Chesapeake Regional is taking place at the Comcast Center at the Univ of MD in College Park, MD. The event is FREE and open to the public. There is a lot to see and watch. There will be 54 teams from all over MD, DC, and VA plus a few from out of state.

All day Friday and on Saturday morning, the teams will be competing in qualification matches. Our robot, Joan of Arcs, will be in a number of matches across that time. After lunch on Saturday, the elimination matches are played and we are looking forward to be a part of that. Below is a schedule of events plus information about FIRST Stop which is a guided tour through the pits and arena. It's FREE.

There is more information online about location, directions, schedule, parking, etc. Check out: http://www.mdfirst.org/programs/first-robotics-competition/chesapeake-regional.html.

If you do come out -- come find me and the team. Look for Team 2528 - Western High School Robodoves. I'll be in the pit or on the field competing.

Lots more pictures on the team Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/RoboDoves-Team-2528/64728866444

Thanks for reading!
~J^3

A few topics

So it has been a few months since I have posted. I could say that "I have been busy", but that feels like a cop-out. It just hasn't been a priority.

There are a number of topics on which I would like to expound. So while, I won't be getting into any specific diatribe today, I wanted to list a number of topics for future posts.

Here they are, in no particular order:

• My Eagle rank that I earned in the BSA and the current discussion about returning it
• Fun events around Baltimore like Submit 10, Ignite Baltimore, Artscape, etc.
• Social media and the value of face-to-face contact
• Digital presence - why it is important
• ... and others I can't think of right now.

Thanks for reading!

~J^3

Ready to Rumble?

Q: Do you enjoy watching basketball?
A: Sure.

Q: Do you like robots?
A: Sure, they are cool.

Q: How about robots built, programmed, and controlled by high school students?
A: Intriguing. Tell me more.

Q: How about these same robots playing basketball?
A: Really?!

This week - March 9th and 10th - come out to the Baltimore Convention Center and watch 40 high school teams compete with their robots at the FIRST Robotics Competition Chesapeake Regional. FIRST is a national (and international) program which promotes science and technology for kids all of ages. FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) is all about high school teams building robots to compete in a new challenge announced each year. Every team has only six weeks to design, build, program, test, and ship a robot ... and they start from scratch!

This will be my third year as a mentor for a local Baltimore high school team. This year, I am proud to mentor the Western High School Robodoves, FIRST Team 2528! The girls have a great robot and I am excited as they are to see it in action.

I would love to have you (the reader) come out and support us and the rest of the competitors! Attendance is FREE and open to the public. It is downtown at the Baltimore Convention Center. Check out the flyer below. Not only will you get to see the robots compete, but you can tour around the pits and meet the young, intelligent, and energetic kids. Our future sure looks brighter after you see what these kids can accomplish.

More information is online as well. There is a Game Animation which explains the game and the rules. Very helpful is you plan to stay and watch the competition. Hope to see you there!

UPDATE: You can also watch online: http://robotics.arc.nasa.gov/events/2012_frcwebcasts.php#webcasts

Thanks for reading!

~J^3

A travelling story

Typically I fly direct. Typically I fly Southwest. Neither of those happened this last trip. I took US Airways and had a layover in LaGuardia. I like traveling and none of this phases me. For some reason, I decided to check a bag. My flight from BWI to LGA was simple and uneventful. My trip from there to Providence was a bit more interesting...

18:45 - arrive at LGA with little fanfare. As I get into the terminal, I check the boards to find my next flight, headed to PVD, set to depart from gate 10, on-time (19:59). So I wander a bit past gate 10 and review the stores/food court. No interest.

19:05 - return to gate 10 with yogurt parfait and water in hand. Find a seat and enjoy my food. I notice that there is no airline personnel at the desk nor is the flight monitor active. About a dozen passengers are around. After eating, I pull out a book to read.

19:35 - a passenger wanders by looking for a seat and asks the general area whether this is the right gate for PVD and why hasn't boarding started. It does seem strange. I notice my phone is dying and I should find a receptacle. An airline person walks to the counter.

19:40 - I move across the way close to the door near a power receptacle and plug in my phone. I reopen the book and wait to see what happens. The woman takes the mike and announces, 'the plane outside has been sitting there for two days for mechanical issues. They are still working on it. We will let you know.'

19:45 - second announcement. 'Flight is not taking off. Passengers can hurry and take an US Airways Express flight to DC and then back up to Providence. There are no other flights to Providence. The DC flight is at gate 18 and boards real soon now.' She told some people that they should rush over to the gate.

19:55 - I don't panic even when 12-15 ppl rush away from the gate. I ask about any flights to Boston. There is a 9pm flight. I decide to take that info and think about my options. I try reach my friends in Boston (voicemail) and then call my friend in Providence. Mike suggests that maybe the airline would compensate a train ticket to PVD from NYC or from Boston. Also, he could just come to Logan. I check back with the airline person and they don't know if I could get a voucher for a train. When I am ready, I should head to Special Services.

20:10 - I head to Special Services and ask to transfer to the Boston flight. I also ask to have my checked bag transferred because otherwise it would stay in LaGuardia (I assume). I ask the manager about getting free access to WiFi (it costs money) to search for travel options or train vouchers. No dice. She says I can send an email to US Airways and mention the situation to get reimbursements.

20:30 - I head over to gate 19 (other side of airport). I notice that the 9pm Boston flight is listed as delayed until 9:30pm. Ugh! I ask at the desk and find that the plane is enroute and arrives by 8:50pm.

20:45 - After settling in to wait, I see the departure boards and notice a PVD flight listed to depart at 9pm. I didn't note the gate number, but the flight number was my old one. I ask the desk near me and they are confused. Asked me who said that the flight was cancelled. They call Special Services and find out yes, mechanical delays and it will be listed as cancelled. Local manager confirms. I return to my seat and ignore the board.

20:50 - I spend some time researching how to get from BOS to PVD. Maybe Amtrak, maybe rental car. Talked with my friends in Boston. Mike planned to call me back.

20:59 - I packed up my bag and was planning on asking the desk about the Boston plane. I hear an announcement stating last call for Providence flight at gate 8! What? I rush to the desk and ask this guy about the announcement. He comes out of a daze and says he didn't hear it. I ask to check for the PVD flight and gate 8. A woman looks and says that it still shows maintenance issues. The guys says that no one is answering at 8. I decided to rush back over.

21:10 - I arrive at gate 8. I ask the woman about a flight to Providence. She (Lucy) says that it is ready to leave and I missed the flight. I quickly explain and she calls on the radio down to the tarmac and asks to hold the plane. She finds out that I can board but my bag is not going to make it back to this flight. Tarmac radios that some bags bound from Providence have just arrived. Lucy and I rush down to the plane and she takes my claim ticket to see if my bag is on the cart before they load it. Nope. But I can still go to Providence if I want. (The plane destined for Boston is now at its gate and prepping for travel, with my bag).

21:30 - I am the sole passenger on a small prop jet headed to PVD. Just me, two pilots, and a flight attendant. I actually have to sit in the back for weight balance. Kinda fun.

And that's how I arrive in Providence and my bag heads to Logan. Fortunately, I am not on some crazy high-level business trip. Fortunately, Boston is a short one hour trip away. Fortunately, I have some good friends in Boston to meet up with for dinner.

It is often said that how you react to circumstances is the key. Like water off a duck's back. Take every situation as a blessing in disguise. One I like is that the size of a man is equivalent to the size of the thing that pisses him off. Worst case scenario - buy new clothes. Best case - a day in Boston. And that is what I had.

Thanks for reading,
~J^3

Share and Care Foundation (SCF)

A few weeks back, one of my uncles included me on an email which included a link to a few YouTube videos covering a TV interview he gave. The TV show is called 'The Leading Force'. From their own write up:

THE LEADING FORCE is a weekly show focusing on pioneering South Asian organizations of international repute based in North America, who have worked relentlessly to serve the mankind and foster goodwill between Asian Indians in the US and the mainstream population. This includes organizations serving in various fields ranging from spiritual, professional and the world of Arts, Entertainment & Media, to humane services, medicine, science & technology and the political arena.

The reason that my uncle, Jayant Shroff, was on the show was to discuss an organization in which he is a founding member - the Share and Care Foundation. I was amazed to learn that he and the group have been providing assistance to people in India for over 28 years now. The foundation's website is here: http://www.shareandcare.org. Here's an excerpt from the website:

Share and Care, the brainchild of a small group of Indian-Americans, was born in 1982 in New Jersey. Currently the core group is comprised of some 40 active volunteers with different backgrounds and disciplines. This includes professionals in the fields of medicine, administration, finance, business and engineering. The core group and the Foundation enjoy the support, enthusiasm and dedication of the community at large.

The Foundation began with a very simple idea to convert what is considered "waste" in the western world into much needed help in the East. The idea became reality when good quality used clothes were collected and sent to orphanages and women's home in rural India. Medical supplies and equipment that were considered "obsolete" in the west but were a leap forward in remote areas were soon included in the shipments. These supplies dramatically improved the quality of care in charitable hospitals there.

From its infancy, the group realized the benefits of volunteerism and self-help. Share and Care volunteers see themselves as catalysts, promoting low cost, high return programs at grass root levels. Our 100% volunteer organization maximizes the utilization of funds for a deserving cause. The most exciting aspect of our work is that in twenty seven years of Foundation's existence, the programs have grown over a hundred - fold.

The interview on The Leading Force spanned 45 minutes. There are three videos comprising this interview which are shown below. Feel free to watch and listen to what they have been able to accomplish:

Episode 4, Part 1 of 3

Episode 4, Part 2 of 3


Episode 4, Part 3 of 3


Listening to my uncle speak and understanding with the foundation does make me proud. Too many times we are bombarded with news about how people take and take without giving back. Yet that is just the 'news'. In reality, this country is filled with people who give - not only money, but their time, their minds, and their hearts. Kudos to Share and Care Foundation! I look forward to finding ways to help them do what they do.

Thanks for reading and watching,
~J^3

Words of encouragement & words of comfort

Last night I stopped by one of my favorite bars in Hampden, Golden West. It was a night like any other with a buzz in the bar. The bartenders and servers were whipping around serving patrons various elixirs. I did start to notice however a solemness about the bartenders. I asked and was presented with shocking information - one of their good friends and co-workers had suddenly passed away the night before.

Over the past year, I have come to know many of the employees and friends of GW. It is not hard since they are a welcoming bunch. Sit at the bar long enough or play pinball, you pick out who is GW staff and who is not. Being who I am, I tend to build relationships. There was occasionally this tall, broad shouldered guy. He seemed to be a quiet, reserved guy who worked as a server. His name was Mike. With his tattoos, height, and pleasant demeanor, Mike was hard to miss. I recall a smile or a nod every time we would see each other. And those will remain my memories of Mike.

A little after I heard the news, I was in conversation with a couple discussing Dali, Gaudi, art, Internet, and youth with cell phones. About this time a gentlemen saddled up to the bar between us to get a drink. He wasn't getting noticed, so I attempted to signal one of the bartenders. He quickly told me not to worry - they were having a rough night. I realized he knew and could tell it hurt him too.

What would you do? Do you say 'Sorry' or 'Feel better', and walk away? My reaction was to offer comfort, encouragement, humor, and when they are ready - topic change. Over about 30min, I learned a lot about David and was happy to hear that our conversation eased his thoughts and mind. He told me that his day was hard and he expected to have a rough night. Fortunately, we met, talked and he felt better.

I wrote this post not to brag about me. The events of last night remind me that we don't choose what happens around us - we only choose how react. David told me that news of Mike's death caused him to contact his loved ones and let them know how much he cared for them.

In today's age of 'connection', do you really know what is going on in your friends' lives? Do you care enough to ask, to help, to encourage, to comfort? I know that I will try better to do so.

I also want to express my condolences for Mike's friends and family. May you find the peace you are looking for.

Thanks for reading,
~J^3

** UPDATE **

Mike's Viewing and Funeral Service will be Wednesday, 09.07.11 and Thursday, 09.08.11 from 3 - 5 pm and 7 - 9 pm at Peaceful Alternatives, 2325 York Road, Timonium, MD 21093. Friday, 09.09.11, the Funeral will begin at 11 am at the same location.

In lieu of flowers, we request donations be made in order to help others suffering from addiction.
Please send pictures ...to siska.miller@gmail.com.
...
He will be wearing his dancing shoes.

Independence Day!

(Originally written around the 4^th of July)

For the first time in a long time, I did something non-traditional for Independence Day. By traditional, I generally attend a local parade – waving, clapping, and cheering as floats pass by. That is typically followed up by a fireworks display in the evening, either sitting on the lawn or watching on TV.

This year was different. I broke my ‘tradition’ and joined my good friends, Dave & Lori and their family, at Hershey Park. That’s right, I celebrated my independence day by riding roller coasters. It was a blast. Whatever discounts we obtained buying the tickets at Giant were given back at the highly priced food venues. Since I sat next to Dave on the first ride, I am sure he’d be happy to relay the contorted facial expression I had while experiencing those gravitational shifts. Just mention ‘Pirate Ship’. It was fun to also witness the park partly through the eyes of a child… no, not Dave! His niece was there and she rode probably every kid’s ride possible. And she was excited through the end.

We didn’t stay for the fireworks because we all had to get back. I actually drove from Hershey to Queens, NY (about 3 hours). It was neat to watch the near and far fireworks displays as the sun went down. Some of the fireworks were probably public (official) ones while others were obviously private ones. The ride across PA, NJ, and into NYC was pretty. It was cool watching moments of each of those shows. I rolled into NYC just after the main Manhattan display, so I missed that one, but there were still little ones going off.

Did I miss the parade with politicians and fire engines? Yes. Did I miss the crazy close fireworks? Yes. Would I have traded my day at Hershey Park? No way! It is good to break routine; to try something new; to create new traditions.

As a side note, Independence Day can be celebrated any day. I am often thankful for the blessings and opportunities I have because of this country, our soldiers, and my parents. I hope you all enjoyed your independence day.

Thanks for reading!

~J^3

Cafe surfing

Happy Easter folks! And if you don't celebrate Easter, happy first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox!

Earlier I was enjoying a mimosa at what was a relatively quiet cafe in Astoria, NY. That same location has turned a bit busier as the lunch/brunch crowd has appeared. Mind you, I am not leaving; it is just a change in atmosphere. And that is really the reason for my post.

I am the only one here alone (well, except the guy at the bar) and the only one with a laptop on the table. I am sure that plenty of the patrons have their favorite smart phone with them. I brought said laptop because I plan to do some office work here in the comfort of WiFi, coffee, and the busy NY streets. It is not that exciting to sit in my hotel room when the weather is THIS nice.

Before I start said office work, I find myself exploring the web, checking email, reviewing links sent by friends. In this environment, there is little to no privacy. Anyone could easily look over my shoulder and judge what I am doing. Then again, I might think too highly of what people focus on. I digress. While checking my email and performing some surfing, I suddenly got conscious of what I was looking at. Before you jump to conclusions, I am not looking at THOSE type of sites! A link I was recently sent a link with a video comparing old Britney to new Britney. Spears, that is. I have my sound off and click the play. The video shows vintage clips of Britney "dancing" and I am sure eventually this will be compared to newer clips. I stopped after less than a minute. Watching a female artist dance around without sound is a little strange, no matter where you are.

So the question I pose to you is if you find yourself in similar situations, are there sites you look at and don't look at? Do you try to appear more learned by reading the NYT or WSJ? I guess one of the obvious choices I have is to ignore such emails and links. Who really cares if old Britney and new Britney dance differently? (Popdust.com, that's who.)

Enjoy your day and thanks for reading!
~J^3

Making a difference

When's the last time you made a difference in someone's life? It might be more recent than you think.

The past three days I was fortunate to witness the culmination of a season of robotics at a regional competition. For the past few months, I have been mentoring and helping a group of high school students build and program a robot. It has been awesome experiencing how they work together and the leaders that emerge.

Through this experience I have had now two years in a row, I know that I am having an impact on those kids lives. I hope that I am making a difference. But I also know that I make an impact almost every day in the smallest ways.

The other night, I watched a short talk by Mark Bezos, a volunteer firefighter. The talk is one of the many on TED.com. If you have never heard of that site, I encourage you to check it out. Below is a link to Mark's 5-minute talk. Watch it and the rest of this blog will make more sense:

TED talks - Mark Bezos
http://www.ted.com/talks/mark_bezos_a_life_lesson_from_a_volunteer_firefighter.html

We can make a difference everyday by looking up while running around and being busy. It can be the smile you give a stranger or the door you hold open for someone entering or leaving the place you are at. Sure, you might not ever see that person again or even know their name, but that act of kindness may make a difference in how they react the next moment.

Often though, we can make an even greater difference by choosing to 'teach' rather than 'tell'. I have been there; it is easier to tell someone to do something new and hope they get it right rather than show and teach them how to do it the first time. These others can be kids, co-workers, friends, acquaintances. The more we give of ourselves, the more impact we can make.

Thanks for reading and have fun making a difference,
~J^3

How we choose to react...

Imagine you are driving along on a quiet Saturday morning from Baltimore, MD to Ocean City, MD. Traffic on the road is light. You are making good time. You are passing Salisbury and have only a half hour left on your trip.

Now imagine that your car starts to react strange. You push down on the gas and the engine revs - your RPMs shoot up but you don't feel any pressure back from the drive system. You release the gas pedal to let the RPMs fall below 2000. You still have momentum, but are now in the right lane with hazards flashing. You accelerate again. But once you hit 2000, the tachometer shoots up again past 3000-4000+. You pull off the road. Maybe cycling the power will help.

Turn off the car. Turn it on. Try to pull out and go again. Same reaction. After a while you the get car into a gas station (no garage). You now call a service garage and ask them to diagnose the issue over the phone. They say "it's the transmission." On no - that's not an easy fix.

You have a choice to make. You were on your way to a conference for the weekend. Do you focus on the car and let THAT consume your thoughts and time OR do you leave the car in a safe place and go to your destination?

I recently heard that 'destiny is a series of choices or decisions.' You don't want for it to just happen, instead you make it happen. What you let consume your mind will consume your life. I choose to leave the car so I can benefit from the conference. The following day (on the way back), I took care of the car. Fortunately, I was with people who focused on solutions rather than issues. A little masterminding with a friend lead to simple decisions on how to get the car to a garage and getting a rental for the week.

I hope your car doesn't break down on you, but I do hope you don't let situations slow you down.

~J^3

post script: It was the transmission. With help from a bunch of people for a variety of things, I got the car to a garage. I had a rental for about a week. The Tribute is back and on the road again. Thanks folks!

$200 million per day and a 300 person entourage

So as you might be aware, President Obama is overseas in Asia heading to the G-20 summit. The above headline is what his travels are costing America.

The question I ask is whether this is normal and justified. I mean, what did it cost President Bush to travel? For that matter, did he travel - outside of the US? The math works out to about $666,000 per person! I can only guess what the fuel costs for Air Force one are, plus armor plated vehicles in every country.

So while I could fact check most of this on the 'Internet', I am writing this entry on my phone. Feel free to correct me.

Thanks for reading,
J^3

PS. So the initial estimates might be wrong:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/05/india-on-200-million-a-day-no/
http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/india.asp

Smart phones may require smart people

So this is my current contention. Case in point, my buddy Mike. He got his first smart phone yesterday - a Motorola Droid 2. His last phone was a typical clamshell style of the non-smart type. He was an early adopter of Google products and already uses gMail. While you could consider him an advanced user of gMail, he hasn't needed a unified contact manager so far.

Prior to yesterday, he had phone contacts in his mobile, email contacts in gMail, and business contacts (email+phone) in his work Outloook. One of the features and requirements of an Android device is its connection to a Google account. This allows the user to synchronize their selected gMail contacts with their phone. Handy, since this will be the primary tool to manage said contacts.

However, for my friend, this proves to be an issue. You see, he uses Verizon Wireless which gives their users access to an over-the-air backup utility which backups all the phone contacts to Verizon's server. Quite handy with a non-smart phone. Mike made use of this and had all 200+ contacts stored on the server. So naturally, when you start-up your new Droid 2, you expect to connect to the backup server and magically get your 200+ contacts back. Sadly, this didn't happen. The Droid-Verizon connection was able to push only 122 out of 209 records to the phone. Ones that were missed - his sister, his parents. If the service knew any better, these would be deemed of higher importance.

Scouring the web for the answer proved fruitless. Yes, you can connect to Google but it would be first nice to get back the old ones you had. Finally a call to Verizon solved the mystery - Backup Assistant was broken. Broken for the past several days and no expected fix date. Their suggestion, use Google contacts.

Now fortunately, you can export the contacts from Verizon into a CSV (comma-separated variable) format. But then you need to merge that with your Google contacts. I'll spare you the blow by blow. This is not a trivial process especially if you use the time to cull your old phone contacts and current gMail contacts. Using advanced Excel functions like VLookup, Mike was able to create a merged import file of all his contacts. A mass delete of the current contacts and an import using the file finally got him to state he wanted - all old phone contacts are stored in gContacts. Time to finally sync the phone to Google. And voila!

Whew! You might wonder how it seems I have intimate knowledge of all the steps taken. I was there. Four hours of watching, helping, waiting, and not lunching. But it is done. Yay. How do the 'normal' people do this? Maybe they just abandon the tricky methods and go for straight re-entry. Who can say. I hope your Saturday morning was just as fun.

Thanks for reading,
J^3

More bike riding!

Hello all to a sunny, cool fall Saturday. What a great day to break out the bike and ride. So I did. I packed a lunch, grabbed some water, my camera, and decided to check out a new place: Lake Montebello.

The ride there was great. From my apartment, I head out towards Johns Hopkins and the Waverly Farmer's Market. Another mile or so past is the man-made lake. It is a beautiful setting, much like Druid Lake. There is a nice track around for bikers, walkers, runners, dogs, and whatever else. It's apparently 1.35 miles around the lake.

What was cool was after I arrived and took a spin around, I found a nice shady area to have my lunch. Thanks to Mom for the idea! Lunch was a nice tuna-fish sandwich, some coffee cakes, and an XS Classic. Post lunch, I took another ride around the lake and headed back.

It's funny how you see things more when traveling via bike or walking versus driving. I stumbled upon a labyrinth right off 33rd. It is the Stadium Place-Thanksgiving Place Labyrinth. I was re-introduced to labyrinths only recently. There is one at the Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington, DE. This one is very pretty and complemented with a bell tower. I stopped for a little while and walked the path and reflected. Very cool.

One of the fun places in Waverly to check out is The Book Thing. Since I hadn't been in a while, I stopped by. You really can't go without picking up some books. I came away with four. One or two will probably end up as gifts.

The ride back was nice. The hills was a bit challenging as I working on building strength in my legs. But, I got through it. Each time it will be better, no doubt.

Oh, I tracked my progress with GPSed again. You can check out the route and some pictures I took along the way: http://www.gpsed.com/track/395697906001622736.

Thanks for reading. Have an awesome weekend!
~J^3

We're number one?

We all like the idea of winning. And we should. However, I believe that it should be less of 'being the best' and more of 'doing our best'. Small distinction. Being the best basically is doing more or better than others. Depending on the situation, we might not have to do much. However, doing our best requires a whole lot more. It requires us to push our boundaries of what our potential is.

I came across an op-ed in the New York Times today. I encourage you to read it here. Tom Friedman explains what he feels are some of our country's underlying reasons for falling behind. In general, as Americans, we can't imagine a world where America is not the leader. And I believe that many nations around the world hope/expect that the US remains the leader. Unfortunately, we (the country) don't exude the qualities of a leader.

I think that it is great that many more people today feel they have the opportunity to be on TV, be a celebrity, be a star. However, there is sacrifice and hard work which comes with that. Dedication and focus towards a goal is what keeps this nation strong. And, there is a lot of that around. But they are not whom we hear about everyday. Columns like Tom Friedman's shed light on the problems. What we need to do is start focusing on the solutions.

Don't misunderstand, I believe in 'play hard'. But the first part of that phrase is 'work hard'. Only I can evaluate whether I 'worked hard' and deserve to 'play hard'. I encourage you to look around and learn what sacrifices your friends/relatives are making. Don't judge - just listen. And if you don't have a passion or drive for something right now, maybe you'll find something along the way. Until then, as the Boy Scouts say, 'do your best' ... in everything you do.

Thanks for reading,
J^3

Stuffed animals

Remember back to your childhood? Remember when you had a few choice stuffed animals to keep you safe at night? Or maybe you had a favorite which had to come EVERYWHERE. We will had a few growing up. My brother and I both had our favorites - a bear, a lion, a bunny, a seal. But the collection grew well beyond just those. As you can see in the picture, we had a menagerie. This came to being because we were not alone in our appreciation of the stuffed animals. Our mother essentially collected them.

Sadly, it has been a long while since these guys were played with. The reason they were reunited was to take stock before we donate the lot. A few were saved and hopefully cleaned. The rest will hopefully bring joy to another child or neighborhood of children.

How would you redesign it?

A few weeks back, a friend posted a link to a blog article which I found interesting. The author, Erica Goldson, displays her valedictorian speech given earlier this year (one assumes). In her speech, Erica questions the method in which our current education system evaluates whether students have learned enough to move on. I encourage you to read her speech first:

http://americaviaerica.blogspot.com/

“But now I have successfully shown that I was the best slave.” What a line. I agree with the sentiment of the speech. We should be taught and encouraged to think beyond the facts and rote memorization. One of my friends once told me that educational systems are mostly an experiment. There is little science or testing which shows that one way of teaching is better than another. Mostly this is because you can't truly tell until at least ten years later.

I believe that we as a society need to encourage life-long learning. No matter our degree or profession, we are all capable of learning new things. We should strive to build that desire within ourselves and the youth. In today’s economic climate, this idea is more than just a suggestion, it is required. Many people are finding that they are faced with learning new skills, techniques, and entire vocations in order to survive.

Coming back to schools and education – Erica suggests for students go beyond what is required for testing and not worry about grades. How does that work? I agree - metrics stink. But how do we, as a society, evaluate which schools need support, which are 'succeeding'?

Malcolm Gladwell, in his book ‘Outliers’, examines commonly used stats showing reading comprehension between students of different socio-economic status across several years in school. Looking at the numbers, it appears that the schools are failing at helping the students from low income backgrounds keep up with their middle and high income classmates. But then Gladwell has the reader look closer. The low-income are not falling behind in school. They are falling behind during summer. It comes back to a difference in what happens at home. When a family is struggling to make ends meet, there is less time to encourage summer learning. On the flip-side, the middle and high income families create more incentives for summer education. It comes through required reading, trips, summer camps, and similar activities.

I believe that our attitudes towards education are impacted by the school, the teachers, and our classmates. But they are so much more affected by our family, relatives, and friends. In essences, it comes back to association. Be careful who you spend time with.

In Erica’s final sentences, she directs her thoughts to her classmates and instructors. She challenges them to change, to grow, to learn. We all should listen and try to learn, grow, and change.

Thanks for reading!
~J^3

A Baltimore First

So I did it. After nearly seven months living here in the city, I finally did it… I took a bike ride. Oooo. Ahhh. OK, so maybe it is not that exciting to you. But since bringing my bike down here, I was excited to finally take it out and use it. Back in Delaware, I would ride the bike about once a year. Typically, it would be on the fourth of July. I would ride down to the reviewing stand and help setup the sound system and podium. The reason I rode my bike was that at some point the road would be closed for the parade and there was little need to bring my car there. But I digress.

So in a recent post I mentioned that I would write stuff in no specific order. So you might ask, “When did you take this ride?” Today – Saturday July 24th, 2010 - reportedly the hottest day in Baltimore this year. According to wunderground.com, it was between 99 degF to 100 degF outside. And I biked almost 9 miles in that heat.
Was I thinking? No. Did I at least prepare for a hot ride? Yes. I was smart enough to wear shorts, a t-shirt, a ballcap, and bring water. It really didn’t hit me though until I was 20-30 min into my ride and about 3-4 miles away from my apartment. First, I am getting into shape (positive talk), but I do have some way to go. So biking even that long wore me out. Plus it is warm out. Fortunately, I was not racing nor had a timetable. Also fortunately I was biking in a park with benches. I stopped a few times to catch my breath, breathe, and walk the bike a little. But mostly I powered through it. That felt great.

The route was nice – I wasn’t biking through the streets of Baltimore. From my apartment it takes about ten minutes to get to a bike/walk entrance of Druid Hill Park. The signs read for the Jones Fall Trail. I followed that into the park, past the Maryland Zoo, in front of the Conservatory, and down to the Druid Lake. There is a nice 1.5 mi path around the reservoir which I did twice. The ride back to the apartment started out rough. I was pretty winded so I took my time. At certain point though I was feeling better and was able to power through the rest. You can check out the route I took at GPSed.com here. GPSed Lite is a cool, free app for my Blackberry which uses GPS to record my path.

Recently I was having a conversation with my friend Sara where I told her about a high school incident where I managed to scare a fellow classmate (Kayvon) through my driving. She noted that most high school boys have this ‘invincibility’ idea that nothing can ever stop them. I don’t know if Mrs. Hitchens still teaches at AIHS and whether she still runs the Math League team, but if you wonder why no one is allowed to carpool to offsite matches, you can thank me. Because of the incident, students would either use the bus or go alone.

One could argue that I still believe I am invincible in a few areas of my life. Chalk it up to being single, unattached, and still alive. I think my decision to bike on the hottest day this year goes right along with this notion. But I survived. Thank God for that. Next time, I’ll be a bit smarter and start with shorter runs to build up endurance. I must add though, when I got back to my place, I had two things which helped my body recover very quickly: endurance cubes (berry flavor) and an antioxidant twist tube.

So that’s it. I was able to start biking and I hope I can make it a habit.
Thanks for reading,
~J^3

An adjustment

Have you ever been to a chiropractor? Ever been adjusted? Well I had my first experience today. It was interesting.

I went to one of those booths at the HonFest which offered a free 10 min massage. Well along with that I was offered two free chiropractor consults. Sure, I thought. Why not?

They checked me out and even took a few x-rays to check out my spine. As it turns out, I need to correct the curvature of my neck and my middle to lower back.

Fast forward to today. I went to my first appt. The doctor felt my neck and them made two quick, sharp adjustments. Wow, did my neck crack. And that was it. I then was given 10 min of some electric stimulation to ease the muscles. Strange.

We'll see how it goes. I hope it helps to reduce the general back and shoulder pain. I guess time will tell.

~J^3
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Does order matter?

Since the whole blog thing is new to me I have this feeling that posts should have chronological order. Well that creates an issue when I have posts in mind and then new ideas come up. I get this anxiety about finding time to write. Forget that!

I have a plan to write a post summarizing the road trip. That'll happen. I also have starting writing one about a recent trip to Bethany Beach. Right now, I am at a local haunt - Golden West Cafe in Hampden. If you haven't been, check out the long bar. A few great bartenders - Tony, Eaden - and an every changing list of beers on tap. The food is pretty banging too.

So look forward to other posts. Who knows when they'll come or in what order. Yay for randomness.

~J^3
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