11 Pep Talks

INCIDENT:
I spent the Thanksgiving holiday with some of my close friends and lots and lots of really good food. It was nice to spend Thanksgiving among people that I love and respect. Not only can they all cook ridiculously well, but they are also very smart. They're an inspiration.

And as I am at the very beginning of what will be a lifetime of research, I could use all the inspiration and advice I can get... so my trip west resulted in a full stomach and a shifted perspective.

MORAL:
It is amazing what some experience can do to your confidence and productivity. I have to remember that in time I will get there myself. But it is wonderful in the meantime to have the advice and good words from those who are a bit further in the process than I.

To my dear friends, I take this time to express my thanks.

Online Harassment, Morality, and Accountability

INCIDENT:
There is a story circulating in the popular media right now about a young teenager named Megan Meier who committed suicide last year over hurtful comments from a friend, Josh Evans, on MySpace. But it turns out that her MySpace friend was not the 16 year old boy she thought she befriended, but rather it was the curious mother of her former friend. This mother wanted to know what Megan was saying about her daughter.

It is an unbelievable story that calls to question the role of online social networks, the faulty judgment of some parents, accountability, and the sad reality of life in the twenty first century.

St. Charles Journal - POKIN AROUND: A real person, a real death

The Associated Press - Web Hoax Victim's Family Seeks Reforms

USA Today - Town may criminalize online harassment

MORAL:
This is a heart breaking story. I especially feel for Megan Meier as she was the true victim in this tragedy. When you are suffering from depression, you need a supportive environment to deal with it in a healthy manner. Reports say that when she first befriended "Josh" her disposition was happier. And you can imagine that the positive attention she was receiving from this "boy" contributed to a better outlook on life. But then to suddenly receive incredibly hurtful comments from someone that she thought was a friend... it was unbearable. My sympathies to the Meier family. I hope Megan has found peace.

What sickens me the most is that it was a cruel hoax perpetrated by an adult... a parent no less. This is more than an error of judgment. It was deliberate, calculated, and absolutely heartless. This mother knew Megan. Megan went on vacation with their family. She knew of Megan's psychological illnesses. And yet, she found this to be an appropriate and justifiable response? In what moral world, is this remotely appropriate?

It makes you wonder... what other new problems will we face as technology advances? What new ethical issues? What new reflections of humanity?

The Millennials

INCIDENT:
On "60 Minutes" last Sunday, Morley Safer reported on the new generation of "millennials." These are the people who were born from 1980 until the mid 1990s during a time when people thought it was bad to have kids experience failure and instead championed mediocrity. Well, now they are joining the work force and it is changing the face of corporate America... for bad or for good.

CBS News - The "Millennials" Are Coming

MORAL:
If you have had the pleasure of teaching in recent years you probably have encountered students that feel entitled to better grades despite their performance in class. I never understood why someone would think they deserve a better grade just because they ask for one. What happened to working hard? Is that not valued anymore?

I failed many times in my life. And as difficult as those situations were for me, it inspired me to be better. If there was no incentive to working hard then what's the point? What's the point to a life without failure? You might was well veg out and stop caring. Without failure we don't know when we have actually succeeded.

Trial by Fire

INCIDENT:
In a way I think of graduate school as trial by fire. The student is placed in a situation where in most cases they need to learn a new body of literature, attend graduate classes that they may or not have background in, and design and perform research. There are expectations on the part of the department, the advisor, and the student. And I suspect that those expectations don't always align.

"No mere human can stand in a fire and not be consumed." - Christabel LaMotte (Possession: A Romance; A.S. Byatt)

MORAL:
When you begin graduate school you don't want to appear stupid, but ironically that is probably the time that you are going to ask ignorant and naive questions. There are opposing forces at work. You want to impress and live up to your advisor's expectations, but at the same time there is a reason you are in graduate school in the first place (If you could easily go out and do research without guidance and instruction, then you don't really need to be in grad school now do you?). But recognizing this ultimate irony is not enough to overcome the feelings of inadequacy. It is hard to ignore the mounting pieces of evidence and even harder to recognize any contradictory information.

Email v. Phone

INCIDENT:
How the hell did we communicate before email? I was in high school when AOL AIM was catching fire, but even then it was a novelty and we still talked mostly in person or on the phone as a matter of necessity. But now we have all sorts of modes of communication that match people's personalities and preferences much better -- email, instant messaging, mobile phones, text messaging, video conferencing, web phones, etc. The two fundamental concepts underlying all of these different modes of communication are spoken communication (aka the telephone) and written communication (aka electronic mail).

When I was working a pseudo-office job, I realized that people are either email people or they are phone people. You will get an optimal response from only one of these modes of communication for any given individual. I have yet to meet someone who uses either equally as much.

MORAL:
Spoken and written word both have different advantages and disadvantages. When you talk on the telephone you can hear the intonations in the person's voice. You can tell more easily if they are being sarcastic or serious, and you can shape your response appropriately. While in email, you can develop your thoughts in a more concise and cohesive way. It can be less reactive and more thought out.

I prefer email. And I am realizing it's because when I talk to someone in person or on the phone, I usually end up saying things that I don't mean. Or rather I say things that are misinterpreted from my original meaning. This happens to me a lot. It's because I think externally. I need to articulate my thoughts and feelings in order to organize and develop my perspective. I realize that many people do this process internally, but I have a hard time doing so. This is why I like email. I can think about my response and type it out but not send it. I guess this is also why I like blogs. I can ruminate on life in a way that fits my mindset.

Liability and Responsibility

Ray and Maria Stata Center, MIT, Cambridge MA (Photo Credit: Philip Greenspun)

INCIDENT:
MIT is suing architect Frank Gehry for major design flaws in Ray and Maria Stata Center in Cambridge. The Stata Center is an academic building that houses computer science, linguistics, and philosophy. It opened in 2004 to great praise for its innovation, daring, and creativity. With a $300 million price tag, there is an expectation that the design details would be resolved to a high degree. Instead there are leaks, cracked masonry, growing mold, and drainage back ups.

MIT sues Gehry, citing leaks in $300m complex

MORAL:
Litigation is inevitable in architecture. And when you are pushing the limits of creativity, you either have to push the limits within proven constraints or you have to throw all convention out of the window. Clearly, Gehry threw convention out the window and the result is an engaging and dynamic complex of buildings. Clients hire Gehry because he takes risks with form and function. And in his past commissions those risks have paid off ten-fold in the form of increased exposure, tourists, revenue, etc. The problem with Stata Center is that the building does not work structurally. There are awkward angles and corners, which means additional headaches in shedding water. This is a major problem. But anything beyond the norm will introduce a whole new set of problems in all parts of the design and construction process. While I believe Gehry should be held responsible for structural details that have lead to the current problems, I also respect aspects of Gehry's work. We should encourage people that push the boundaries, because without them then no innovations would be made. And we need innovation.

US Men's Olympic Marathon Trials

INCIDENT:
The US Men's Olympic Marathon Trials were held in New York City on Saturday November 02 2007. Most of the American elite marathoners were there. It was quite a field. The race started at 7:30A near the cathedral and then looped through Central Park several times. It was a very spectator-friendly course. Spectators were able to see the runners about 10 times during the race. And there definitely was a great turn out of spectators including a group of crazy bare chested guys with letters painted on their chests to spell "SELL" (Brian Sell was one of the crowd favorites). Yeah. We were at a road race and there were guys jumping up and down in 40 degree weather with their shirts off as if we were at a football game. It was crazy. But this is the nature of the running community. They are just as passionate about supporting the sport as they are about participating in it.

Brian Sell with fans before the start of the race (Photo credit: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images)

It was a great race. There were two main lead packs and the runners changed places often within and between the packs. For such an intense race and distance, it was a nail biter until the end. In this amazing field of runners, emerged a new group of Olympic hopefuls.

2008 US Olympic Marathon Team -- Ryan Hall, Dathan Ritzenhein, and Brian Sell (Photo Credit: Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

It was a day of great triumphs but also of great tragedy. As we walked from the start of the race to about East 79th Street, there was a runner down on the course. We stopped for a second to see what was going on thinking that someone might have sprained an ankle or something... but there were the medics administering CPR. It was not a good sign. We could not see who it was but we did not want to stick around. We were worried but knew that the runner was in good hands. It was only later that we found out that the runner was Ryan Shay (he was the 2003 US Marathon Champion) and that he passed away after he was brought to the hospital. It is a huge loss to the running community. My deepest sympathies to his wife and family.

Ryan Shay leads during the 10,000m at the 2002 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships (Photo credit: Alison Wade, New York Road Runners)

MORAL:

There is a simple message here. Live and love life to its fullest. There will be great highs and lows, but never take life for granted.

What I can't be when I grow up

INCIDENT:
I was on a transcontinental flight recently. It was a completely full flight. I felt like cattle. Anyhow, these days it seems like every single person avoids checking in luggage. So you can imagine that with a full flight there was a lot of luggage. And as I was watching people put their baggage in the overhead compartment, I realized that I could never be a flight attendant. I don't know how they deal with the public all the time and in such a stressful situation. But also how do they deal with all of these people that are so spatially challenged? It is painful to watch. People manage to place their luggage in the most inefficient ways.

MORAL:
I never noticed that the measure of the general population's spatial ability is incredibly evident in the mundane task of storing baggage on an airline flight. But what I find funny is that it bothers me... a lot. And I'm not sure why.