To Wikipedia or not to Wikipidia, that is the question...

Many people have an issue with usage of Wikipedia as a trusted source of information.  I have often heard many colleagues disparage this Wikipedia because it has the potential for being a biased forum.

I do not recommend relying solely upon Wikipedia as a chief source of research. All students should be skeptical about whatever they read, just as they should always consider the source; not everything that is written is necessarily factual and may well be subject to its author's bias.  

I keep Wikipedia in my arsenal for two reasons; 

1]  it offers a one-stop base of operations for 'quick and dirty' explanations.
2]  it stimulates me to deepen and widen my instigation and a offers me a base from which to expand my research on the topic.


As part of your Twenty-First Century Learning Skills, my advice is that you not limit your research to what someone may well have arbitrarily dismissed as unnecessary.  By all means, never rely on one source to satisfy your need to understand anything.  

Ironically, this digression precisely explains what extending your understanding of the Scientific Method is all about.  This is a perfect example of how to apply your practical understanding and why you should knock the dust off this powerful tool.    

Wikipedia is not the be-all-end-all of research tools.  If you are using it that that way, then you do yourself a disservice.  Wikipedia is the product of contributions by people who have never been compensated for their entries.  It does bear mentioning however, that people have many motivations for disseminating information other than remunerative gain.  Because of that, I encourage you to be skeptical and always follow-up by checking sources, seeking other writings on the topic you are researching and remain vigilant for potential bias on the part of whoever may have authored the article.

Steve Jobs - On the Anniversary of his Death

 

“No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” 

Steven Paul Jobs

February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011

Stanford commencement speech, June 2005

My Book Review of Steve Jobs Biography

I saw Walter Isaacson on the Charlie Rose Show, and bought the book with reservations since I had previously read his biography of Einstein where I found the author's concern with minutiae annoying and his writing style lack-luster at times.  This didn't happen so much with Steve Jobs' Biography. 

I recall Isaacson stating rather early in the book that he might be accused of writing something apologetic and perhaps maybe even stand accused of being under the spell of one of the most influential people in contemporary history's 'reality distortion machine.' The biography seemed fair enough, but I think it may have come too early.  It is enjoyable and even has some enduring life lessons, but in the end, I think Walter Isaacson soft-peddled more than he needed to.

Consequently, I wonder how much of Jobs' biography is influenced by Walter Isaacson's world view and vice-versa. 

Personally, I think Isaacson didn't reveal anything more than what was already floating in the ether about Steve Jobs, the man.  Moreover, it seems the juiciest tidbits offered up by the author came in his varied interviews when he was touring the talk shows to hype the book.  While my knowledge of Steve Jobs was next to nothing before I read the book, my perspective of him post-Isaacson, is that of a rather emotionally labile, petulant, brilliant man who was given to extremes of self consumption, willfulness that not only attested to his creative genius, but contributed to at least three life-changing disasters - one with the gravest consequences of all for him because it quite likely killed him.

Because only three significant disasters were written of by Issacson, it becomes a matter of reading between the lines. I am left with the feeling that the author purposefully gives his readership bones so that they can sort of build the final character according to their personal likes.  To that end, this biography seems a bit skewed.  That is why I give this book 3 stars out of a possible 5; it is likeable enough but seems lacking in substance.  

I don't know how, or why other people read biographies, but my reasons focus on understanding people and how they influenced their respective worlds.  As a result, I tend to look for examples "what-to-do's" and "what-not-to-do's" as I read.  While I remain convinced that few if any biographies ever accomplish what they boldly set out to do; convey a complete, unbiased vetting of what makes up a person's life, it seems even harder to summarize a book - even less so, a life - in merely one sentence, but here goes; being bold and determined in your decisions is a double edged razor that has the potential to cut in your favor but it can also cost you your life.
 
In biographies, sometimes it's not what you say.  It's how you say it.  Additionally, sometimes it's about what you don't say or perhaps, that you elect not to say it.  Finishing up with this book leaves me with those niggling questions.  Unfortunately, I don't think I really know much more about Steve Jobs than I did in the past.  I do know however, more about the history of Apple, and that was worth paying for.

Perhaps that is what Isaacson should have framed his book as; a history of Apple's rise, fall and rise again - rather than a biography about Steve Jobs.  Apple was, after all, what defined Steve Jobs and is, in large part, what will reflect his legacy.

Number Cruncher King - Mathemagician Exrordinaire

This guy just amazes me.

Occam's Razor - Keeping it Simple

Albert Einstein cautioned us that, "Everything should be made as simple as possible but no simpler." 

His advice echos a commonly practiced principal in science called, "Occam's razor."  

Keep this principal in mind whenever you approach a problem.  This strategy will also prove helpful in the future when you are designing experiments and explaining how, or why something is the way it is.  It is even a helpful tool to use when dealing with whatever problems you encounter in life. 

Here is a pretty good explanation of the concept:

"Ockham's razor - also written, 'occam' is attributed to the fourteenth century Friar, William of Ockham, has become the hallmark of scientific theories ever since.  

Ockham stated that 'Entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily.'  This has been taken to mean that whenever two or more explanations exist for a given phenomenon, the simpler one is generally preferable.

In other words, scientists use Occam's 'razor' to cut away any superfluous elements of a theory preferring to leave only the simplest explanation necessary, for logic dictates that the simpler answer tends to be more preferable than an overly complicated one.  This little rule is useful in any logical situation, even beyond the realm of science."

                                                                                    - From: Physics - Everyday Science at the Speed of Light, 2010

Wing Suit Flying

 

For your viewing pleasure, I have posted this video of wingsuit flyers.  As you view this video, from the science and mathematics perspectives, you will have an appreciation for:

1]  The Physics concept of Acceleration due to Gravity

2]  The phenomenon of airfoils

3]  The phenomenon of friction

4]  Wind resistance

5]  Fluid dynamics

6]  Resolution of vectors

7]  Mass-vs-weight-vs-density

8]  Force = mass x Acceleration

9]  Kinetic - vs - Potential Energy

10] The difference between velocity and acceleration

I could go on, but you get the point.  Here is a nice explanation;

Wrapped up in Thought...

First Flights

 

What you will be seeing are three videos of private pilot students.  The first two videos are feature a  young woman named, "Hanne" and features her at the controls of a Cessna 172for the first time. 

This last video features Meghan's first solo cross country flight.