May 2012
2 posts
Lessons from Thailand
Cab drivers don’t want to use the meter. They want to jack with you and negotiate a flat fee that is 2X-3X what you should actually pay.
Cab drivers don’t know English AT ALL. When going somewhere, take the time you need to depart and then subtract 15 mins to account for the cab drivers that don’t know the places you want to visit.
Assume everyone is a dude. Everyone....
Lessons from Southern Vietnam
Everything is cheap. A whole meal for $4 or less.
There is no rum here. Better get used to the 15,000 VND ($0.75) Heineken.
You will sweat. All the time. Did you bring enough drawers?
There are no white people or black people here. Did you think you could catch a brother on the other side of the Earth?
There are no such things as ice cubes. People put huge blocks of ice into your drink.
...
March 2012
1 post
Why I Went Vegan (for a month & more)
Over the past 2-3 years I’ve given a lot of thought about what I eat. The way I eat today is much, much different than how I ate 2 years ago, 5 years ago, and 10 years ago. I’ve read some various books (Becoming Vegetarian, Eat to Live), watched some various documentaries (Fat Head, Super Size Me, Food Inc.), and had conversations with a number of people with differing views on the...
June 2011
1 post
3 tags
On People vs. Resources
This article here at http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2011/06/people_are_not_cogs.html got me all riled up about a topic that I often talk about: people vs. resources.
Let me clarify for all those in the room.
I am a person. I have a family. I have friends. I have feelings. I have emotions. I am a person.
If you talk to enough business people, you’ll find them magically talking about resources to...
April 2011
1 post
5 tags
On Being 1/2 "Black"
I’ve been thinking about this post for a long time.
I am half white and half Jamaican. My mom grew up in Illinois and met my father from Jamaica who went to college there.
Since most forms that you fill out only have a box for “Black/African American”, this is the option that I frequently choose when trying to describe myself, when I actually feel that it doesn’t really...
February 2011
1 post
4 tags
On Poverty
I’ve been here in Quito, Ecuador for 3 days now and it’s really made me think a lot about poverty. Growing up I had a much different perspective on this topic. I thought everyone could get straight A’s in school because I did and helping people through charity didn’t make sense because they should be helping themselves. My, have I changed over time.
When I think about the...
January 2011
1 post
4 tags
On Cutting The Government
Over the past 6-9 months I’ve been thinking a lot about the changes that are happening in politics as some people get more agitated about the size and scope of federal and state governments. The biggest development is the rise in influence of all the “Tea Party” conservatives who are hell bent on reducing the size of government by cutting spending, eliminating...
February 2010
1 post
On Healthcare Reform & Civil Rights History
A lot is being made about the Democrats plan for health-care reform. One minute it looks like they have their filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, which means they can push through whatever they want. The next minute,they lose Kennedy’s seat, and everyone says healthcare is dead. The next minute, everyone starts talking about reconciliation as a way to only need 51 votes in the Senate to...
December 2009
3 posts
5 tags
On Music Companies, Book Publishers & the RIAA
I’ve finally figured out why all these companies are getting all upset about “piracy”. It’s not about protecting the music artists or the book writers, or the movie producers. It’s not about protecting the actors, illustrators, or the guitarists. It’s about PROTECTING THEMSELVES. With digital distribution, why do you need a book publisher or a movie distributor...
6 tags
On The Paradox of Choice -- Related To Happiness
I’ve become hopelessly addicted to watching TED videos lately. Two of them have been of particular interest:
The Paradox of Choice -http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html
Why Are We Happy -http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_gilbert_asks_why_are_we_happy.html
The first one about the paradox of choice was of particular interest. It pretty much encapsulates...
October 2009
1 post
On Tipping
I don’t really understand the tipping rules that we have in society.
If I go to a restaurant and someone takes my order, brings me some water (and keeps it full), and does other relevant tasks, then sure you should earn a tip. In this instance I would say you’re paying the food and then your providing a incentive via a tip for the person to give you great service. Sure. I get it....
September 2009
2 posts
Why Me Offending You Is Actually A You Problem
I don’t like your hair.
I think you should apologize for your hair.
In fact, I am OFFENDED by your hair.
You need to apologize for it.
Is this a legitimate argument?
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Maybe you’ve heard the recent news about the Nigerian...
The Madden Curse
Every year the new Madden comes out, I hear more and more about the “Madden Curse”. What is the Madden Curse? The Madden Curse says that if someone appears on the cover of Madden, then something bad is going to happen to them during the following football season. This year Troy Polamalu gets hurt in the first game and somehow Madden is to blame.
Let me tell you something. There is no...
August 2009
1 post
Grails Redirect
If you’re like me and you’re new to Grails, you discover that sometimes things are too easy. How is that possible?
Two tips I found on redirecting to make your life easier:
If you’re in a GSP and you want to redirect to another page/controller, it’s super easy. Just drop: ${response.sendRedirect(“myController/myAction”)}, onto your page (putting in your own...
July 2009
3 posts
On Morality
I’m not sure if this is an entirely new idea…I’m sure someone else has already thought about it. It’s new for me though. I’ve been thinking a lot about morality lately. How do you know if you’re doing the “right” or the “wrong” thing? How can you potentially come up with a set of rules that everyone should live by in order to be...
On The Value of Philosophy
I think the study of philosophy is infinitely valuable for the people of our society. “Well, but in philosophy you don’t really learn anything. It’s not that applicable to life. Why is the practice of contemplating my existence really important?” Here’s the thing…previously before the advent of the Internet, people who knew a lot of facts were thought to be...
June 2009
3 posts
4 tags
On Ownership
How do you really own something? Are the things that we “own” really ours or can someone else have a claim on them? For example, I purchased the computer that I am currently using with my money, but is it really mine? Let’s take a step back. Going back to when the settlers came to the New World, they found a vast land inhabited by the Native Americans. With any basic knowledge of...
4 tags
Calculating Fuel Usage
http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/buy-an-suv-save-the-planet/
Excellent article about calculating miles per gallon.
Basically, we should be telling people who are driving their Hummers and their big pickup trucks to ditch their gas guzzlers, and just get a moderately fuel efficent car. Moving people from car that average 14 mpg to 24 mpg will have a greater impact on fuel usage...
1 tag
Becoming a Vegetarian
In my recent quest to explore the idea of becoming a vegetarian, I have run into some continual comments that I think are worth addressing.
The biggest one being….”Well AJ, if you become a vegetarian, what about the loss of quality of life in not eating meat.” Where to start?
I never knew that people derived such a high level of utility and satisfaction from eating meat. Right...
May 2009
3 posts
1 tag
Self Actualization
How does one reach self-actualization?
I find myself crazily doing a lot of different things in search of making myself happy. But I have too many options and I stretch myself too thin. I can read, workout, play videogames, draw, listen to music, run, etc.
In the end, I find myself in the same place. In search of a greater happiness, a greater Zen-like state in which I will be satisfied. But who...
1 tag
Pepsi vs. Coke
What is it with Pepsi vs. Coke? They are the same thing!!! How can people say that one is significantly better and/or different from the other? Why do people in the north drink Pepsi and people in the south drink Coke?
Challenge yourself. If you like Pepsi, Drink Coke. If you like Coke, Drink Pepsi. I promise you won’t notice the difference. It’s all in your mind.
Why does my office...