This is an easy one
Must Protect This House: Defending My Email Inbox
#MentalNote
I probably spend a lot more time than I should sorting through emails. I need to create a system that defends my personal inbox, curtails my professional email inbox, and make sure everything else in between falls into place. I’ll figure something out this weekend and share with everyone. Heck, maybe I’ll find a product idea in all of this.
Anyone with cool apps, extensions, and/or strategies to tame my inbox?
#SampleTuesday Why Can't We Live Together
I’m a huge fan of the samples in hip-hop. In the larger sense, re-purposing old in a new way is central to innovation. A good book recommendation for this topic: Steal Like an Artist: 10 Things Nobody Told You About Being Creative
Can you guess which popular song uses this sample of Why Can’t We Live Together by Timmy Thomas?
Should Programming Be a National Requirement in US Schools?
The short answer is no… But you didn’t come here for a short answer did you?
Long answer: The cool thing about growing up with people that are a tad older is that they expose you to the world you’ll inherit before you know you will. As a younger Chika, many of my older cousins were learning how to program and developing cool games on MS-DOS. Since we lived with them, I got to see first hand the process of locking yourself in a room and debugging or talking through a process you wanted to code. The experience got me super excited about coding because I wanted to make games and make the computer bend to my will. Yep, I had power complex as a child…but I digress.
Fast forward to my first programming class. I had the opportunity to take Visual Basic in high school as a sophomore. Visual Basic was a great introduction to programming. It was pretty easy to pick up and a lot of things you could do especially within excel. Learning how to program excel scripts was really helpful, especially with Algebra and Pre-calculus. I used Excel to check (and sometimes do) my homework. It was the perfect symbiotic relationship. It only works with a solid foundation in math, curiosity about how to do things easier, and a language to make easy happen. I later went on to learn C++ and python…. but it was never about learning how to program. There were real life problems I wanted to solve, and my curiosity drove the projects I did in class, and the extra work I did on my own.
Earlier this week, Rahm Emanuel, mayor of Chicago, called for national computer programming requirement in schools. Here’s more of what he said here. I disagree 110% (+/- 10%). By putting an emphasis on programming, you detract resources from the building blocks of being an effective programmer. I understand Mayor Emanuel’s thoughts…..We need to make our students competitive for 21st-century jobs. Okay, if we are serious about being competitive, let us create initiatives to take a great leap forward in math and English test scores or increase access to higher education for all.
We see that requirements don’t always yield results. Physical education is a requirement, but we still live in one of the most obese nations in the world. We have Reading, Math, Science requirements too. How do we fair when compared to the rest of the world?
I believe there’s a place to integrate programming into how students interact with already existing curriculum. I think that would be more interesting than requiring programming proficiency. It doesn’t have to be a binary conversation. Making programming a requirement in schools is the equivalent of making calculator proficiency a requirement. Programming is a tool, not the end all be all. Teach students why they need to use said tools and you’ll be surprised the lengths they’ll go to master them.
What's Your Jesus Walks?
“I guess they was lookin’ at me crazy cause you know, cause I ain’t have a jersey on or whatever everybody out there listen here. I played them ‘Jesus Walks’ and they didn’t sign me…..”- Last Call, Kanye West
Arguably one of the best endings to a cd … ever… Last Call gives us Kanye’s extended origin story. Kanye guides the listener in an unique blend of lyrics and conversational story telling to understand the transition and challenges on his quest from a beat maker to a rapper.
One of the pivotal points in the story for the listener is when he talks about his relationships with A&Rs (Artists and repertoire (A&R) is the division of a record label or music publishing company that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists and/or songwriters…..thank you Wikipedia.) and how they responded to his unique style. Kanye was trying to persuade the music industry trend setters that he was more than capable of being the rapper they wanted but on his terms. “I played them ‘Jesus Walks'” he states.
Why Jesus Walks? Jesus Walks was one of the boldest songs on College Dropout. It took a taboo topic like religion and put it right in the spotlight of hip-hop. It was such an edgy song….. A song that could be uber successful or fail miserably. Yet, this was the song he led with…. Early in his career, he led with a risky song. College Dropout had a bunch of bangers that he could have easily used instead, but he led with Jesus Walks.
3 big lessons here…
- Most gate keepers suck at evaluating talent. They are exceptionally efficient at maintaining status quo.
- Succeed amazingly or fail fantastically. It’s a waste of an opportunity to take the middle road on a big gamble.
- Believing is really half the battle. Kanye proves this again and again.
When it comes through the wire (you see what I did there?), what’s your Jesus Walks? What character trait, product, or service do you lead with that sets you apart from others? Are you fearless enough to share it?