I'm starting my first Business School class (we operate on "Berkeley Time", which means all classes actually start 10 minutes after their scheduled times).
Wish me luck!
Monday, August 28, 2006
Sunday, August 27, 2006
BBQ
Went to a bbq today. It was the last activity of Orientation Week.
I went expecting your typical burgers and dogs. So imagine my surprise when I got there and found out it was catered. With 10 different kinds of skewers (everything from beef to portabello mushrooms to lime chicken), awesome mashed potatoes and cous-cous!
It was a gorgeous day, too. The bbq was held at Pinole Point park, about half an hour north of Berkeley. We kind of got lost on the way, but eventually found it.
Ah, what a nice way to spend the afternoon!
I went expecting your typical burgers and dogs. So imagine my surprise when I got there and found out it was catered. With 10 different kinds of skewers (everything from beef to portabello mushrooms to lime chicken), awesome mashed potatoes and cous-cous!
It was a gorgeous day, too. The bbq was held at Pinole Point park, about half an hour north of Berkeley. We kind of got lost on the way, but eventually found it.
Ah, what a nice way to spend the afternoon!
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
6
Today was the 3rd day of Orientation Week. On Monday, we had a good discussion on diversity, including a speech on diversity by the CEO of PG&E (a big California utility company). We also had some team-building exercises, important because I just found out who my "study group" is (a study group is a group of 4 people in the same class that have to work together on certain group projects).
Yesterday featured a pretty lame and uninspiring talk and workshop on innovation, as well as a much better look into and practice of what a typical case study will be like in our classes. Last night, the alumni association sponsored a business formal party at the faculty club, with a pretty cool alumni speaker, an announcement of the demographics of our new class (how many countries, average age, average GMAT score, etc.), and the usual finger food and copious amounts of alcohol.
It was one of my classmates' birthday, so I joined a big crowd celebrating afterwards at Club Med, aka another classmate's SWEET house up in the Berkeley Hills.
I left the party around 1, so I was a little dragging when I arrived at school at 8 this morning (only to find out that we didn't have to actually be there until 8:30...) We spent the first part of the morning talking about the opportunities for learning about and participating in socially responsible business at Haas (everything from non-profit to government to talking about how it just makes plain business sense for everyday businesses to be socially responsible). This is one of the topics that I'm interested, so I'm looking forward to delving into it more.
With that in the backs of our collective heads, we headed out to a local collaborative living establishment, where 200 different families that were either formerly homeless or close to becoming homeless live. It was a really great place, where they have formed their own community, helped out by on- and off-site workers, and where they do everything from tutor kids to grow their own vegetables. We were there to work, donating the labor of 240 vibrant and energetic people to do things like paint the houses, pull weeds, move mulch and build flower beds (which I did. My hammering skillz could use some work...). At the end, we went around the community picking up trash.
The division of labor was done across cohort lines. A cohort is a group of 60 students, all of whom take all first semester classes together (60 people x 4 cohorts = 240 people) As we were doing these various activities, we had kids from the houses walking around judging us on things like participation and enthusiasm. My team, Oski, won this part of the competition. But there was to be more. Much more.
From there, we headed out to a nearby park, where a bbq was waiting for us (along with cohort-specific t-shirts). After eating a quick lunch, the annual Cohort Olympia began.
With events like horseshoes, volleyball, twister and capture the flag, it sounds a little dorky, but keep in mind, all of these involved copious amounts of beer. As did "Sloshball", a take on the traditional kickball of days gone by. The whole thing kinda reminded me of my undergraduate days, in some good, and not-so-good ways. We ended with team-developed skits, poking fun at the personalities and foibles we had already seen in our still-short time here.
Alas, despite our best efforts, and my large amount of cheering, screaming and running around, Oski came in 2nd place, losing to Gold. This was a much better showing then last year, though, when Oski apparently came in 4th place in the competition, because they spent too much time just drinking beer.
Oh, and the number in this post's title? That's how many artificially-flavored strawberry cupcakes I ate in 3 minutes, as part of the speed-eating competition. My group came in 2nd, with 20 cupcakes eaten by the three of us, one short of the winning 21.
Yesterday featured a pretty lame and uninspiring talk and workshop on innovation, as well as a much better look into and practice of what a typical case study will be like in our classes. Last night, the alumni association sponsored a business formal party at the faculty club, with a pretty cool alumni speaker, an announcement of the demographics of our new class (how many countries, average age, average GMAT score, etc.), and the usual finger food and copious amounts of alcohol.
It was one of my classmates' birthday, so I joined a big crowd celebrating afterwards at Club Med, aka another classmate's SWEET house up in the Berkeley Hills.
I left the party around 1, so I was a little dragging when I arrived at school at 8 this morning (only to find out that we didn't have to actually be there until 8:30...) We spent the first part of the morning talking about the opportunities for learning about and participating in socially responsible business at Haas (everything from non-profit to government to talking about how it just makes plain business sense for everyday businesses to be socially responsible). This is one of the topics that I'm interested, so I'm looking forward to delving into it more.
With that in the backs of our collective heads, we headed out to a local collaborative living establishment, where 200 different families that were either formerly homeless or close to becoming homeless live. It was a really great place, where they have formed their own community, helped out by on- and off-site workers, and where they do everything from tutor kids to grow their own vegetables. We were there to work, donating the labor of 240 vibrant and energetic people to do things like paint the houses, pull weeds, move mulch and build flower beds (which I did. My hammering skillz could use some work...). At the end, we went around the community picking up trash.
The division of labor was done across cohort lines. A cohort is a group of 60 students, all of whom take all first semester classes together (60 people x 4 cohorts = 240 people) As we were doing these various activities, we had kids from the houses walking around judging us on things like participation and enthusiasm. My team, Oski, won this part of the competition. But there was to be more. Much more.
From there, we headed out to a nearby park, where a bbq was waiting for us (along with cohort-specific t-shirts). After eating a quick lunch, the annual Cohort Olympia began.
With events like horseshoes, volleyball, twister and capture the flag, it sounds a little dorky, but keep in mind, all of these involved copious amounts of beer. As did "Sloshball", a take on the traditional kickball of days gone by. The whole thing kinda reminded me of my undergraduate days, in some good, and not-so-good ways. We ended with team-developed skits, poking fun at the personalities and foibles we had already seen in our still-short time here.
Alas, despite our best efforts, and my large amount of cheering, screaming and running around, Oski came in 2nd place, losing to Gold. This was a much better showing then last year, though, when Oski apparently came in 4th place in the competition, because they spent too much time just drinking beer.
Oh, and the number in this post's title? That's how many artificially-flavored strawberry cupcakes I ate in 3 minutes, as part of the speed-eating competition. My group came in 2nd, with 20 cupcakes eaten by the three of us, one short of the winning 21.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Holy Crap.
Wow. Ropes Course. What can I say? Or, more appropriately, what can I say on my blog that doesn't involve four-letter words or other things that would give my parents a heart attack?
I never really thought I had a problem with heights. But I knew I had a problem with falling. That kinda sounds like a no-brainer (who doesn't have a problem with falling?), but it's not so much the going "Splat!" on the pavement below that bothers me (although, of course, that's an issue), so much as the actual sensation of falling that I don't like. The whole "My stomach is in my lungs, and my lungs are about to come out of my mouth" thing. Which is why I never really liked roller coasters.
The only roller coaster I've ever truly enjoyed, to the point of doing it again and again, has been Space Mountain. Because it's dark. So you can't see what's coming up. 'Cause it's the seeing, and the anticipation that really gets me. One of the main reasons I DON'T generally ride roller coasters, is because I start to get queasy just looking at them, and thinking about how sick it's going to make me feel were I actually ride it. All this without even getting in line.
So, imagine that queasiness, that trepidation, that knowing "wow, this is gonna rock when I'm done, but suck while I'm doing it" feeling, and imagine that times 10. No, times 100. And, now imagine that feeling while standing on an itsy bitsy platform on a tree, 100 feet or so off the ground. And then, imagine that you have to jump off said platform, into nothing-ness below. That would be a small approximation of what I felt earlier today, when I went on a "Zip line" at the ropes course.
I'm convinced that jumping off things into wide open space is not a natural concept for humans. Otherwise we'd have winged arms or something. Never mind that I was harnessed in, never mind that I had two different connections to the zip line. It wasn't really about the knowledge of what I was about to do being safe. No matter how much you tell yourself that nothing could go wrong (and for the most part, nothing really CAN go wrong), that doesn't make it any easier to make that leap off the platform (for me, at least).
In the end, it took me about 10 minutes of psyching myself up, including nervous butterfiles, a couple of bouts of pseud0-hyperventilation, and somebody skipping me in line, but I made it. I didn't get a running jump off the platform, like some of my classmates; in fact, I sat down, and kind of eased myself off. Not the most graceful or exciting or manly ways of going. But I made it.
As I told my "guide", it's a lot easier being macho from the BOTTOM of the tree. Things aren't quite so easy when you're standing at the top.
I'm definitely glad I did it, though. Not only the getting over my fear, challenging my limits part, but it was actually FUN! At least, the ride down was. What started as a "holy crap!" scream quickly turned into unstoppable laughter. When I got back down, my legs were still shaking a little bit, but the adrenaline rush was amazing.
Then, there was the buoy-jump. This one was only 40 feet or so, so the climbing up part was MUCH easier. But once you get up top, there's only a teeny tiny little platform (way smaller than the zip line platform), with a narrow plan attached that goes out 10 feet or so. A buoy is attached to an adjustable wire above you, with the goal being to touch the buoy. Meaning when the buoy is farther out, you have to literally JUMP off this tiny plank to grab it.
Like the zip line, I was one of the last people to go. So I KNEW it was safe. I saw people making fantastic leaps off the plank, limbs outstretched as they SMACKED the buoy. I KNEW I could do it. I visualized myself taking a running jump and easily sailing off the platform, grabbing the buoy and then slowly being lowered down to the ground by my teammates.
But, once again, things didn't go quite so well as I had envisioned them. It's really easy to talk about it, and really easy to watch other people do it, but once you get up there, DAMN! That's pretty high! And, as I said before, humankind just wasn't meant to jump off into nothingness.
But, while I didn't make the jump, I did manage to get to the end of the plank, which I was very happy about. They moved the buoy close, so I stepped up to it (more like siddled up to it), and gave it a good whack, before scooting back to the slightly larger platform, so I could be lowered down.
I think I've had enough of high places for a while.
I never really thought I had a problem with heights. But I knew I had a problem with falling. That kinda sounds like a no-brainer (who doesn't have a problem with falling?), but it's not so much the going "Splat!" on the pavement below that bothers me (although, of course, that's an issue), so much as the actual sensation of falling that I don't like. The whole "My stomach is in my lungs, and my lungs are about to come out of my mouth" thing. Which is why I never really liked roller coasters.
The only roller coaster I've ever truly enjoyed, to the point of doing it again and again, has been Space Mountain. Because it's dark. So you can't see what's coming up. 'Cause it's the seeing, and the anticipation that really gets me. One of the main reasons I DON'T generally ride roller coasters, is because I start to get queasy just looking at them, and thinking about how sick it's going to make me feel were I actually ride it. All this without even getting in line.
So, imagine that queasiness, that trepidation, that knowing "wow, this is gonna rock when I'm done, but suck while I'm doing it" feeling, and imagine that times 10. No, times 100. And, now imagine that feeling while standing on an itsy bitsy platform on a tree, 100 feet or so off the ground. And then, imagine that you have to jump off said platform, into nothing-ness below. That would be a small approximation of what I felt earlier today, when I went on a "Zip line" at the ropes course.
I'm convinced that jumping off things into wide open space is not a natural concept for humans. Otherwise we'd have winged arms or something. Never mind that I was harnessed in, never mind that I had two different connections to the zip line. It wasn't really about the knowledge of what I was about to do being safe. No matter how much you tell yourself that nothing could go wrong (and for the most part, nothing really CAN go wrong), that doesn't make it any easier to make that leap off the platform (for me, at least).
In the end, it took me about 10 minutes of psyching myself up, including nervous butterfiles, a couple of bouts of pseud0-hyperventilation, and somebody skipping me in line, but I made it. I didn't get a running jump off the platform, like some of my classmates; in fact, I sat down, and kind of eased myself off. Not the most graceful or exciting or manly ways of going. But I made it.
As I told my "guide", it's a lot easier being macho from the BOTTOM of the tree. Things aren't quite so easy when you're standing at the top.
I'm definitely glad I did it, though. Not only the getting over my fear, challenging my limits part, but it was actually FUN! At least, the ride down was. What started as a "holy crap!" scream quickly turned into unstoppable laughter. When I got back down, my legs were still shaking a little bit, but the adrenaline rush was amazing.
Then, there was the buoy-jump. This one was only 40 feet or so, so the climbing up part was MUCH easier. But once you get up top, there's only a teeny tiny little platform (way smaller than the zip line platform), with a narrow plan attached that goes out 10 feet or so. A buoy is attached to an adjustable wire above you, with the goal being to touch the buoy. Meaning when the buoy is farther out, you have to literally JUMP off this tiny plank to grab it.
Like the zip line, I was one of the last people to go. So I KNEW it was safe. I saw people making fantastic leaps off the plank, limbs outstretched as they SMACKED the buoy. I KNEW I could do it. I visualized myself taking a running jump and easily sailing off the platform, grabbing the buoy and then slowly being lowered down to the ground by my teammates.
But, once again, things didn't go quite so well as I had envisioned them. It's really easy to talk about it, and really easy to watch other people do it, but once you get up there, DAMN! That's pretty high! And, as I said before, humankind just wasn't meant to jump off into nothingness.
But, while I didn't make the jump, I did manage to get to the end of the plank, which I was very happy about. They moved the buoy close, so I stepped up to it (more like siddled up to it), and gave it a good whack, before scooting back to the slightly larger platform, so I could be lowered down.
I think I've had enough of high places for a while.
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Math Camp
A friend and fellow blogger reminded me today in no uncertain terms that I've been crap about updating. Were this a competition, I'd be losing the update battle. Thus the double-posting today.
So far, I'm 3/4 of the way through Math Camp (alternatively known as "Nerd Camp", "Geek Camp", "Math Review", "Summer Camp", "Get used to being back in a classroom for hours on end Camp", "Try not to fall asleep Camp", "Don't worry about the homework Camp" or "Just another excuse to meet a bunch of your future classmates before actual classes start Camp". For the most part, it's been pretty good, and I'm definitely glad that I signed up for it.
Last week was kind of a waste, in terms of actual instruction. We didn't really cover that much material, and a lot of what we did I had already gone over in studying for the GMAT. But as you can see from my "alternate names" list above, it was good for both getting back in to the groove of things, re- school, as well as for hanging out and getting to know a lot of my new classmates.
It's strange how quickly you can get to know somebody in this situation. Even though I've only known most people for a week, a week and a half at most, I already consider many of them my friends. I guess it's a combination of attitude and commonalities that brings us close so quickly.
Yesterday, we found out what "cohort" we're in. A cohort is a 60-person group that you end up taking all of your core classes (like accounting, finance and the other required first-year classes) together with, so they end up being a big part of your experience, because you spend so much time together during the first semester. Despite the fact that I've already met a lot of people through Math Camp, it seems like I don't know that many people in my cohort. Which is sort of a bad thing, in that it means a lot of the people I've been hanging out with and that I like I won't be able to spend as much time with, but I guess it's also sort of a good thing, because it will expose me to new people, which is definitely part of what business school is all about.
Anyway, the past three days of Math Camp have been a lot more helpful in terms of material covered. We went over some of the basics of finance (bonds, discount rate, the time value of money, etc.), which I knew nothing about. Plus, the professor was extremely dynamic, and did a great job of keeping 150 people in a cavernous auditorium engaged, despite the fact that all we wanted to do was either a) sleep off our hangovers or b) hurry up into the production of new hangovers. Tomorrow, yet another professor takes over, for two days of instruction on accounting. Despite the unofficial "don't do your homework" policy that's not-so-quietly handed down from the second years (and probably tacitly endorsed by the professors), like with finance, I got nuthin' when it comes to accounting, so I'm going to try to struggle through some of the reading for tomorrow's session.
Wish me luck.
So far, I'm 3/4 of the way through Math Camp (alternatively known as "Nerd Camp", "Geek Camp", "Math Review", "Summer Camp", "Get used to being back in a classroom for hours on end Camp", "Try not to fall asleep Camp", "Don't worry about the homework Camp" or "Just another excuse to meet a bunch of your future classmates before actual classes start Camp". For the most part, it's been pretty good, and I'm definitely glad that I signed up for it.
Last week was kind of a waste, in terms of actual instruction. We didn't really cover that much material, and a lot of what we did I had already gone over in studying for the GMAT. But as you can see from my "alternate names" list above, it was good for both getting back in to the groove of things, re- school, as well as for hanging out and getting to know a lot of my new classmates.
It's strange how quickly you can get to know somebody in this situation. Even though I've only known most people for a week, a week and a half at most, I already consider many of them my friends. I guess it's a combination of attitude and commonalities that brings us close so quickly.
Yesterday, we found out what "cohort" we're in. A cohort is a 60-person group that you end up taking all of your core classes (like accounting, finance and the other required first-year classes) together with, so they end up being a big part of your experience, because you spend so much time together during the first semester. Despite the fact that I've already met a lot of people through Math Camp, it seems like I don't know that many people in my cohort. Which is sort of a bad thing, in that it means a lot of the people I've been hanging out with and that I like I won't be able to spend as much time with, but I guess it's also sort of a good thing, because it will expose me to new people, which is definitely part of what business school is all about.
Anyway, the past three days of Math Camp have been a lot more helpful in terms of material covered. We went over some of the basics of finance (bonds, discount rate, the time value of money, etc.), which I knew nothing about. Plus, the professor was extremely dynamic, and did a great job of keeping 150 people in a cavernous auditorium engaged, despite the fact that all we wanted to do was either a) sleep off our hangovers or b) hurry up into the production of new hangovers. Tomorrow, yet another professor takes over, for two days of instruction on accounting. Despite the unofficial "don't do your homework" policy that's not-so-quietly handed down from the second years (and probably tacitly endorsed by the professors), like with finance, I got nuthin' when it comes to accounting, so I'm going to try to struggle through some of the reading for tomorrow's session.
Wish me luck.
So tiiiiiiiirrred
I just woke up from a two-hour nap. While some of my (still?) faithful readers might be jealous of my current situation which allows me to go to sleep for two hours in the middle of the day... wait a second. Sorry, no real counter-point to this one. You'd be right to feel jealous. I'M jealous (whatever that means).
But don't worry, it won't last for long. Next week is the start of "O-Week", or Orientation Week, with classes starting the week after. Something tells me that the balance of LNS to LNP (late-night studying/late-night partying) is going to shift dramatically from the current near (but not complete) 0 to 100 to a near-opposite 100 to 0. And with the addition of a full-class schedule (or at least what passes for one in business school), study groups, problem sets and massive amounts of reading, my ability to nap is going to drop dramatically. So I don't feel too bad about one moment of weakness today.
But don't worry, it won't last for long. Next week is the start of "O-Week", or Orientation Week, with classes starting the week after. Something tells me that the balance of LNS to LNP (late-night studying/late-night partying) is going to shift dramatically from the current near (but not complete) 0 to 100 to a near-opposite 100 to 0. And with the addition of a full-class schedule (or at least what passes for one in business school), study groups, problem sets and massive amounts of reading, my ability to nap is going to drop dramatically. So I don't feel too bad about one moment of weakness today.
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Gourmeh
Here's a pretty amusing article on the attempted "gourmetization" of food in the States.
http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,71561-0.html?tw=wn_culture_2
And the author lives in Berkeley! Cool!
(BTW, he's only half-kidding about the goat cheese thing. Mmmmmmm, cheese!)
http://www.wired.com/news/columns/0,71561-0.html?tw=wn_culture_2
And the author lives in Berkeley! Cool!
(BTW, he's only half-kidding about the goat cheese thing. Mmmmmmm, cheese!)
I went for a jog today
My first in Berkeley, and the first in several months. But that's not the real reason for this post.
Instead, I wanted to point out the high ppd ratio that I saw all along my run. For those of you that don't know (because I just made it up), ppd is also known as Prius Per Driveway. Given the reputation that Berkeley has as being "liberal", it really shouldn't be all that surprising.
And it's not. But, I was still a little amazed at the number of Priuses (Prii? Prius'? Priui?) I saw during my 30 minute run. There had to have been a ppd of at least 10% in that neighborhood.
Instead, I wanted to point out the high ppd ratio that I saw all along my run. For those of you that don't know (because I just made it up), ppd is also known as Prius Per Driveway. Given the reputation that Berkeley has as being "liberal", it really shouldn't be all that surprising.
And it's not. But, I was still a little amazed at the number of Priuses (Prii? Prius'? Priui?) I saw during my 30 minute run. There had to have been a ppd of at least 10% in that neighborhood.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Well, tomorrow's the day (Part 1)
Tomorrow, school finally starts. Sort of. Tomorrow is the first day of "Math Camp" (also known as 'Nerd Camp'). It's a two week review session, covering all the math new students should know, but probably forgot since they haven't taken any math since high school (unless you count that freshman year of college calculus course I slept through...)
Anyway, the next two weeks should be a good way to EASE myself into the whole school thing. And the whole regular schedule thing, 'cause for the past 7 months, I've pretty much woken up whenever the hell I wanted, and done whatever the hell I wanted.
Yeah, not really looking forward to getting up at 8am tomorrow....
Anyway, the next two weeks should be a good way to EASE myself into the whole school thing. And the whole regular schedule thing, 'cause for the past 7 months, I've pretty much woken up whenever the hell I wanted, and done whatever the hell I wanted.
Yeah, not really looking forward to getting up at 8am tomorrow....
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Soooooo fuuuunnnnnyyyyyyy
Click on the above link to see what magic a little bit of editing skillz (and a little sense of humor) can do....
So cooooolllllddd
At night in Berkeley, you really wouldn't know it's summer right now. Granted, when I chose UCBerkeley over UCLA, I had no delusions about the weather here being as nice as down in LA. But come on! It's in the sixties at night, and maybe even the fifties! Coming home from a bar the other night, I was so cold that I had to break into a jog to keep warm!
And last night, I decided to bust out a blanket, for that extra layer of warmth while I'm sleeping. IN AUGUST!!!!
I guess I shouldn't complain too much, though. If you go 20 miles or so inland, they've been suffereing 100+ degree weather these past couple of weeks (I heard it hit 115 at one point!). And supposedly the winters here are reasonably mild. I just wish I hadn't left two of my favorite jackets in Tokyo a month ago.....
And last night, I decided to bust out a blanket, for that extra layer of warmth while I'm sleeping. IN AUGUST!!!!
I guess I shouldn't complain too much, though. If you go 20 miles or so inland, they've been suffereing 100+ degree weather these past couple of weeks (I heard it hit 115 at one point!). And supposedly the winters here are reasonably mild. I just wish I hadn't left two of my favorite jackets in Tokyo a month ago.....
Thursday, August 03, 2006
wow....
This is THE craziest (and coolest) music video I've seen in a long time...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pv5zWaTEVkI
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pv5zWaTEVkI
Interesting take on the military
I never really think much about the fact that my father was in the Air Force 30-some years ago. With the draft in full effect, it was a different time, and the only way it really seems to affect me now is I have a really cool Air Force shirt of his that I wear sometimes.
But this article on abcnews.com (which I have set as my homepage, btw) was really interesting. The author brings up a really good point about "leading", and the moral obligations that come with being a "leader". Years ago, I had toyed with the idea of becoming an officer in the military for all of, oh, I don't know, 2 seconds. My close college friend, Jason, had toyed with the idea on numerous occasions, as a way to continue to "serve" after his two years in the Peace Corps, as well as a further step on a potential political career path (he decided on grad school, and a life of academia, and Jesus, instead)
In the end, though, two things stopped me (three, if you count my sudden return to sanity). One was the very idea that she talks about, the need to fight in an "unjust" war (combined with a general hatred of the very idea of killing people). The other was the very real need/requirement for people in the military to subjugate the "self", for the greater good of the "group." We're not talking about sacrificing a few things here and there; I mean somebody else makes your decisions for you. That was a concept that I really didn't feel I could go along with.
But I think this article makes a pretty compelling argument for why at least SOME of what she calls the "elite" (not to say that I'm part of this elite, but I think her definition could easily be broadened to the upper-middle and upper classes of America) need to serve. That being said, would I want my future kids to serve? Honestly? Probably not. But I'd like to think I would at least respect their decision to do so, provided it was done for the right reasons.
But this article on abcnews.com (which I have set as my homepage, btw) was really interesting. The author brings up a really good point about "leading", and the moral obligations that come with being a "leader". Years ago, I had toyed with the idea of becoming an officer in the military for all of, oh, I don't know, 2 seconds. My close college friend, Jason, had toyed with the idea on numerous occasions, as a way to continue to "serve" after his two years in the Peace Corps, as well as a further step on a potential political career path (he decided on grad school, and a life of academia, and Jesus, instead)
In the end, though, two things stopped me (three, if you count my sudden return to sanity). One was the very idea that she talks about, the need to fight in an "unjust" war (combined with a general hatred of the very idea of killing people). The other was the very real need/requirement for people in the military to subjugate the "self", for the greater good of the "group." We're not talking about sacrificing a few things here and there; I mean somebody else makes your decisions for you. That was a concept that I really didn't feel I could go along with.
But I think this article makes a pretty compelling argument for why at least SOME of what she calls the "elite" (not to say that I'm part of this elite, but I think her definition could easily be broadened to the upper-middle and upper classes of America) need to serve. That being said, would I want my future kids to serve? Honestly? Probably not. But I'd like to think I would at least respect their decision to do so, provided it was done for the right reasons.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
A fascinating article
I'm a pretty big fan of the Economist. My friend Jason got me turned on to it many years ago (he was living in Ghana, and appreciated the fact that it was a long read, every week). Sometimes they can be a bit on the conservative side, although certainly not as much as WSJ. And I really appreciate their international perspective on the issues facing the world today, which, despite the title of the magazine, don't always focus exclusively on economics.
I just came across the above article, and was really struck by how good a job they do of illustrating one of the major changes that's happening in the US right now, which, while being about economics, has a much more fundamental effect on the course of America's future.
One of the great powers of the internet (besides useless Youtube videos) is the rapid dissemenation of information and ideas, and while admittedly a lot of the crap I read online is, well, crap (although, often extremely entertaining -- pretty much everything on fark.com, for one), at the same time, I think a lot of the things I come across really help keep me informed, and guide my opinions in a way that I didn't until recently experience.
For anybody that's curious, the two sites that for me are both informational and opinion-changing (and, at times, entertaining) are metafi.com and worldchanging.com. Metafilter, as it's known, is an aggregator of links on many different topics, as determined by the very people who read the site. Topics range from slightly silly like Friday Fun (usually quick and addictive online games) and International Talk Like A Pirate Day (pretty much what it sounds like), to seriously political matters (I found the Economist article on there today). Worldchanging is one of the reasons I'm going to B-School at Berkeley, as it's really peaked my interest in using technology to help make the world a better place (I know, sounds a bit cliched...).
Anyway, back to the article. My first thought after reading it, and thinking about how unfair and unpleasant the situation is, was, "well, I AM spending the next two years in business school, and while 'getting rich' isn't the reason, it's certainly a byproduct that I'm hoping for...". But, after a little more contemplation (and writing this entry), I realized that for me the key can be found in the above paragraph. I think Google has it right (in their motto, at least) -- don't be evil. Getting rich is okay (even glorious, if China's Deng Xiaoping is to be believed), but do your part to help the little guy on the way up. In my case, I hope that it will be a combination of the little guy and our planet.
Let's hope I still feel the same two years from now at graduation.
I just came across the above article, and was really struck by how good a job they do of illustrating one of the major changes that's happening in the US right now, which, while being about economics, has a much more fundamental effect on the course of America's future.
One of the great powers of the internet (besides useless Youtube videos) is the rapid dissemenation of information and ideas, and while admittedly a lot of the crap I read online is, well, crap (although, often extremely entertaining -- pretty much everything on fark.com, for one), at the same time, I think a lot of the things I come across really help keep me informed, and guide my opinions in a way that I didn't until recently experience.
For anybody that's curious, the two sites that for me are both informational and opinion-changing (and, at times, entertaining) are metafi.com and worldchanging.com. Metafilter, as it's known, is an aggregator of links on many different topics, as determined by the very people who read the site. Topics range from slightly silly like Friday Fun (usually quick and addictive online games) and International Talk Like A Pirate Day (pretty much what it sounds like), to seriously political matters (I found the Economist article on there today). Worldchanging is one of the reasons I'm going to B-School at Berkeley, as it's really peaked my interest in using technology to help make the world a better place (I know, sounds a bit cliched...).
Anyway, back to the article. My first thought after reading it, and thinking about how unfair and unpleasant the situation is, was, "well, I AM spending the next two years in business school, and while 'getting rich' isn't the reason, it's certainly a byproduct that I'm hoping for...". But, after a little more contemplation (and writing this entry), I realized that for me the key can be found in the above paragraph. I think Google has it right (in their motto, at least) -- don't be evil. Getting rich is okay (even glorious, if China's Deng Xiaoping is to be believed), but do your part to help the little guy on the way up. In my case, I hope that it will be a combination of the little guy and our planet.
Let's hope I still feel the same two years from now at graduation.
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