My Four Quartets

Florence + The Machine-"Dog Days Are Over"


I always thought that reading would be more exciting if you could somehow listen to music that would invoke a mood, like a soundtrack in a movie. So let's try an experiment- I'll be embedding some songs at the beginning of some of my posts. We'll see if I get any hate mail.


So I think it's time for some self-reflection. Today was the big day- I had two outstanding admissions decisions, strangely enough at opposite ends of my application pool. One from Stanford, one from Anderson. Got dinged by Stanford today and received a simple "waitlist confirmed" email from Anderson- not the happy, good news call that I had been hoping for.

Yet, in the craziness, my mind turned to one of my favorite poems by T.S. Eliot, an excerpt from his Four Quartets. (The Four Quartets was considered his masterpiece, the one that earned him his Nobel prize in literature. Although he has strong Christian themes throughout his work and created each of his chapters around an element, the fourth chapter of his quartets ("Little Gidding"- where the below quote is from), considered to symbolize fire, is said to have strong Buddhist undertones. Some say that the strong Buddhist leanings and symbolism in The Four Quartets was a sign of a life crisis, or maybe his reflections on death.)

"We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time."

But excuse my tangent. I was reminded of his quote, and I began to do a little self-reflection. I feel like I've made a little circle of exploration, maybe I was returning now to that place where I should take some time to figure out what I may have learned. I think it's probably good to have a check in with yourself every now and then. Sometimes it's a simple "So, it's Friday night and I'm working on deliverables. This is bad, right?" but sometimes when I particularly disappoint myself or have big things happen in my life, I think it's good to take stock.

I kept wondering, "What events in my life got me to here?" but also "What skills have I learned through events in my life have gotten me here? Have they helped make me successful? How?". This is the list I came up with:

1. Working at the Boys & Girls Club- First lesson in dealing with workplace politics and stubborn stakeholders. Definitely useful for success
2. Pole Vaulting- My coach would always tell me, "If you don't feel comfortable during your approach, you always have a chance to go back, take a deep breath and try it again. So don't settle." Great advice- before it would help me with my jumps, now it helps me keep my temper under control and try to approach things as bravely as possible (notice I don't say "without fear"). Probably useful for success even though it doesn't feel that way
3. Waiting Tables- Ability to juggle multiple things at once-balancing them on my arms and wrists. Used to be plates and glasses, now it's lunch for me, my wallet, phone and coffee break requests from my team. Definitely useful for success
4. Going to Community College Starting in Middle School- Made me comfortable with being the odd one out. Sometimes useful, depending on the situation

Overall though, where am I? I'm not happy by any stretch that my first attempt at bschool has been so dismal. But I am pretty happy where my life has gone, I don't have many regrets, and I'm still pretty young, so lots of time for new beginnings to happen. Reapplications start around May. Here we go.

Let's Play: Guess the Future

Working in mobile for awhile now, I can say that there are certain questions that reoccur in discussions with company leaders, subject matter experts and users of the actual devices. If I had to sum up the top reoccurring questions, I would say these are the most common ones:

1. Why do I want to move users to the mobile channel? How can I improve customer adoption with minimal risk/investment?
2. What is going to be "the next big thing"? 
3. What type of returns on investment can I expect (customer loyalty, retention, increase in cross-sell, etc)?
4. What are the limitations of this channel? Or, what is the best way to utilize this channel?

I've been pondering that last question in particular recently because, as all of the numerous announcements come spilling out- T-Mobile and AT&T, Google and their NFC love, pilots going on everywhere- this last question becomes increasingly critical as companies try to adapt and offer the best experience possible for their customers.

I think it's a pretty well accepted idea that mobile will have limitations, not in physical capability, but in what makes sense to actually do on a mobile device. For example, you might use your cellphone to download the Zillow app if you were looking for a new house, which overlays real-time real estate information (cost of homes in the area, estimated rent for the area, homes that are for sale in the area, etc.). You could use this app to walk around and house hunt, moving from neighborhood to neighborhood and being able to make instant decisions based on the information being fed to you ("Too expensive.", "Maybe better to rent here."). You could even send homes you like to your significant other, so they can see the same things you're seeing (in case you decided to divide and conquer). This use case is great because it hits on some critical triggers for successful mobile operations:

1. Convenient Usage (app is easy to install and automatically syncs with existing GPS in phone) (critical)
2. Real-time information (critical)
3. Compelling value proposition to the customer (i.e. cost/comparison information) (critical)
4. Ability to share and otherwise "use" the data acquired (critical/optional depending on industry)
5. ROI for Consumer (app is free) (optional)
6. ROI for Companies or Participating Partners (receive info about potential home buyers) (optional)

 On the flip side of this equation, it's most likely not very feasible to have someone fill out a mortgage application on their mobile device- the screen is too small, there is a lot of information required (much of it sensitive information like SS#) and this is a function where the average consumer would feel more comfortable doing it in a branch (maybe online) where they would have ready access to a customer rep to ask questions.

So now I get to the crux of my thought process. If the definition of "mobile" was expanded to include more than just these devices (blocky, brick-like, small, inflexible pieces of plastic) to encompass something else-this is when we could really start doing some interesting things. I'm sure everyone's seen the iPad2 mania, and although exciting, I was most interested in the add-on stand ($40) that was offered with the new iPad2, which allows my colleagues to position their iPads wherever they are to be optimal for their viewing pleasure- on planes, hotels, whatever. After a riveting conversation where two of my newly iPad-ed colleagues discussed the finer points of how to position their stands for plane use, I was shocked to realize that this add on still didn't change the fundamental issue with hardware-it's hard.

Mobile, stereotypically is associated with mobile phones- blocky, inflexible, small pieces of hardware that continually get new features (cameras! GPS! apps that quote Borat!) but they're limited! What if our fundamental concept of what mobile is were to change? If, physically, there was a change in the stereotype of what mobile could be, wouldn't that really begin to open up the opportunities for what mobile can do? I'm not suggesting that the mobile phone would go away, but I'm arguing that the way we utilize it will change. Enter the FlexUPD. By layering the screen polymer, necessary transistors and substrate on a piece of glass that allows for removal after integration (inspired by Taiwanese pancakes), producing a flexible, fully functional screen.

Gone could be the days of "my screens not big enough"- just whip it out of your pocket, plug it into the adapter on your phone, project and interact with the bigger screen as you normally would! Want to use your phone as a mobile workstation? Sure, lay out the sheet on a specialized rack and pull up a "desktop" interface that allows you type and view things just as if it were on a real computer. Watch a movie on your plane? Why not? Just detach the polymer from your book, where it was doubling as a book cover and attach the sheet to the back of the chair in front of you through specialized hooks that adhere to the fabric without leaving a mark!

This next step could take the great things about mobile and combine it with the flexibility and versatility of paper, giving us an expanded mobile channel that allows for limitless functions. (Could it power itself up when it's "off" through solar power? Could it change color to alert you if you have emails or messages? Could it be integrated into clothing to double as a fashion accessory since it will be on you all the time? If it did, could it double as a heart rate monitor or health meter?)

Opportunities are endless. Let's get to it!

Business School Sacrifices

With the day of reckoning moving continually closer (aka bschool acceptance announcements) I'm continually calculating and re-calculating the costs (both literal and metaphorical) of going back to business school right now.

So of course I made some charts.

Business School Cost According to an Average Salary

Assumptions:

• Assume starting business school third year out of school
• Average starting salary is $45K, and average raise is 5-10% per year (I assumed 10%)
• Average MBA cost is technically $40K/year, but I increased it to $52K because it seems like most of the top tier schools hover in that price range
• Income during school years is calculated by using the formula: income-tuition
• An average MBA makes between $76K and $90K, but I instead took stats from HBS, which cites that their average is about $108K (I'm assuming we're all smart folks and going to pretty good schools! Hey a girl can hope!)
• Ultimately, working will still allow you to make more money in the 6 year span (by almost $100K), so it's best for you to stay working if you're just worried about money

But what if you work as a consultant? Your base salary is higher, and the jump might be more significant once you come back to the workforce....

Business School Cost According to a Consulting Salary

Assumptions:

• Assume starting business school third year out of school in June (thus Year 3 only has half of normal salary)
• Average starting salary is $50K, and average raise is ~$10K a year (until you hit Senior Associate level, where you get a pretty good jump- I played it conservative here and said it wouldn't happen until year 6, where at my firm you usually hit this about year 4-5 depending on performance)
• Average MBA cost is technically $40K/year, but I increased it to $52K because it seems like most of the top tier schools hover in that price range
• Because going into consulting after receiving your MBA (average is ~$120K) will give you a higher salary than even HBS' stats ($108K), I chose to err on the higher side
• Income during school years is calculated by using the formula: income-tuition
• Unfortunately, working will still allow you to make more money in the 6 year span (by $164K), so it's best for you to stay working if you're just worried about money

So what did we learn?

• If you're worried about making money- DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB (literally!)

BUT, I think that there are a couple key things to keep in mind that can't be quantified in terms of salary/year, etc.

• Relationships built during bschool- I know this is the number one selling point that schools try to engage people with, but honestly- what other time in your life will you be able to work in small groups with people who've owned their own companies, people who are about to start their own companies and people who've run companies- all at the same time?
• It's probably true that everything you learn in business school, you could probably (with some focus and will power) teach yourself out of a book. However, there is something to be said about being able to learn these concepts in a group environment
• The prestige- it's a stupid reason, granted. BUT, if there's one interview spot, and it's between two equal candidates but one went to Nothing University and the other person went to Stanford GSB, I think it's pretty easy to determine who gets the interview
• Opportunities- scholarships, research work, externships, study abroad case studies and fellowships. Unsurprisingly, the more prestigious schools have more of them (in value and frequency), less prestigious ones scramble
• Frequency of promotions, I find it hard to believe that the average MBA will be promoted at the same frequency with the same bonuses as a non-MBA candidate
• Out years- what happens past year 6? Does happiness increase? Do opportunities increase to move between industries/job roles? I have to believe yes

"Human-ness"

Often when I talk about people I admire, I'll mention that I admire their capacity to remember another person's "human-ness". I feel like I should take a step back and explain myself at this point.

I think that in many corporate jobs, particularly ones like mine where the most successful are often equated to be also the same people who are the most robotic (You often here things like "Oh she really churns out work!" or "He's rough, but he really knows how to hit deadlines")- you soon realize that there is a higher premium placed on good workers than good people. This makes sense though, from a business perspective, you need people who will do their jobs and be good at them! When there are tight deadlines and close working quarters, this makes for stressful times, but the company wants to rest assured that the work will get done, the clients will be happy, and maybe, if we're lucky, they'll buy some more work from us due to the good work previously done.

However, I think there are two sides of this discussion. One one hand, it is much harder to remember the human side of a person than it seems. If we could all just remember the human side of people, I think that the world would be a better place- people would argue less, let the little things go, and generally be nicer to each other. However, I do think that there is a limit to this- if the person you have to work with (or are friends with, or somehow interact with) is not a respectable person, not a hard worker, or generally dead weight on the team, then you can have the right to feel about them however you choose (me, I just try to stay away from them).

So on the first point. When you're stressed, irritable, or sleep deprived, it's easy for you to really hate the coworker sitting next to you. Because they're breathing too loud, because they aren't doing their share of the work or just because you're cranky and they happen to be there. Especially in today's office, where there are so many wireless devices between you and the person next to you, it's easy to distance yourself and begin to think of that other person as not a person. But it's important to remember that they are people- I mean we work in teams with this person for 4 days a week, at least 12-14 hours a day. You don't have to be friends, but at least remember that they are people- they have families, issues, worries- and they deserve a break too! We all make mistakes and everyone deserves the benefit of a doubt. Maybe they missed a deadline because they're dealing with relationship problems, or maybe they're just not as social this week because a family member is sick- whatever the case, I try to remember these things before I really lose it on someone for being a bad team member. They also have dreams and hopes and fears. Try it out- take some time to think of the people around you as people with lives and stories behind them. I swear it'll change the way you act.

On the flipside, we've all run into that person who pretty much doesn't ever pull their weight. I try to remind myself that this person is also a person. (However much they seem like some evil robot who was constructed solely to spew senseless noise while the rest of us are trying to work- undoubtedly trying to rub it in that they are refusing to do work, even though there is always-always!-more than enough work to do.) In cases like this, it becomes exponentially harder to respect the person. In situations like this, I believe it's best to still try to remember that they're people, but to keep your distance. In my experience, these people just bring you down- they're toxic. They make the team morale plummet, productivity stop, and general anger on the team increase.

So how does this affect your life? At least initially try to remember that everyone is a person (it sounds so easy doesn't it?). If they are genuinely good people, try to enjoy their company- get to know them, as some of the best relationships you'll make will be through close-knit, pressure-intense projects like these. If you really don't believe that they're good people- get your job done, be civil, and get out. Interfering with these types of people too much inevitably lead to lowered morale (you might be led to think "Well, if he's not working, why should I be?" or "If he gets by and no one cares, I should be able to also!") and this is the wrong mindset to go into work with!

This is a mantra I need to keep close to my heart. Get your job done, be civil, get out. But I've definitely had some great times, and have met some of the best people I've had the opportunity to work with through these types of projects. To those people- I thank you- it's been a pleasure!

New Post On the "Ha-Ha-Ha" wall

Is There Other Money to Be Had? At What Cost?

So in the past couple of weeks, I've been slacking on keeping tabs on all that's going on in the mobile space, mostly because there's just so much to funnel down, but let's give it a go. I thought that the above video was very fun, so I just dropped that one in here for a bit of a giggle.

From the leaders of the pack:

• Google is said to be well on their way toward their summer pilot (happening in New York and San Francisco) and has been partnering with MasterCard and Citigroup to deliver mpayment services to Android smartphones
• Facebook, in a play to get more toward the value added services aspect of it, has made a deal with Warner Brothers to allow for streaming movies- their first upload was The Dark Knight
• • The article that I linked to, from the New York Times, brings up another good point in that the NYTimes is also beginning to charge for their services this week by instituting the paywall that they've been warning of for so long. This basically means online news is no longer free :(
  • However, there have already been multiple attempts to see how the paywall can be circumvented- no one comes between techies and their news!
• The Fed published a new paper entitled, "Mobile Payments in the United States: Mapping Out the Road Ahead" (download here) which is interesting because it definitely validates some key points that I've been working on with my team, namely that security will be a big concern, regulatory practices will need to catch up to mpayments in order to keep us from chaos and that the open platform model (developing an open platform that multiple players can use) will be the  best platform for the industry to build on in that allows multiple players to build upon one another's work
• Amex is pushing ahead with a version of a mwallet, with it's "Serve" product offering- an ewallet that requires users to set up different funding sources online that can be accessed from a single piece of plastic. This is not new, it's basically the PayPal card, but Capital One and other players also have similar product offerings with their decoupled debit card
• We also have a new player in the race to get to POS systems with CHARGE Anywhere which is entering a very dangerous realm considering the feud that just completed between Verifone and Square (but which was addressed today in an open letter to the payments industry  from Annmarie Hart, the CEO and president of MagTek
• RIM is trying to get back in the game by possibly embedding NFC chips in their phones as well (like Apple and Google), acquiring mobile app testing platform tinyHippos and acquiring social media developer Gist last month (specializing in enterprise social media tools) and The Astonishing Tribe late last year (mobile user interface design firm)
• Moreover, RIM is also planning on having its BlackBerry PlayBook enabled to run Android apps, which would allow it to capitalize on all the hard work that Android has already put into its system by allowing open source development on its platform
  

In a recent article on CIO.com, the discussion turned philosophical, asking, "Mobile Payments in U.S.: Creative Chaos or Just Chaos?". In this article, they briefly discuss the antagonistic relationship between the telcos and the banks determining who "owns" the customer and who should get the "proper" share of revenue (whatever that means). Bottom line is there is a lot of change going on right now, and a lot of money to be had. Based on what we know so far, what are the predictions?

1. Banks are not hardware developers. And they probably never plan to become one, so in order for them to get a jump on the game, expect a lot more partnerships (Visa, Bank of America, Chase and Wells Fargo on the In2Pay microSD pilot) and a more acquisitions as they scramble to fill the banks (Visa acquires Cybersource, American Express utilizing its acquisition of RevolutionMoney, etc.)
2. These partnerships could yield new companies- Rabobank for example, is both a bank and owns a telecom arm called RaboMobiel (how convenient!)- ISIS has been announced in the U.S., but what other "new alternative players" will crop up?
3. Chicken or Egg, both merchants AND consumers need to sign onto the mobile process for it to be successful, right now, the "cool factor" is there, but the tangible value proposition isn't really. HOWEVER, we do see the beginnings of this (the promotion from Starbucks/Visa partnership for example) but customers and merchants will ultimately drive the success
4. Lots of existing players will begin investing in new ways- TurboTax for example, is now using image capture to utilize the camera function on mobile phones
5. There will be many intermediary steps to move consumers from physical channels (cash for NFC, apps for bank branches) and this should be expected- the In2Pay microSD cards are just the beginning
6. Mobile functions are mostly focused on NFC right now, but I expect that barcodes and bluetooth will also make an appearance as we try to bridge the gap between what we can do (with a normal BlackBerry) and what I want to do (BlackBerry with NFC-enabled SIM card?)
7. More alternative players jumping in- players like Boku, Zong and PayPal have been in this game for awhile and they're primed to continue their supremacy, and have been strangely quiet for a long time. I'm sure they're cooking up good things

Growing Old and Laughing All the Way

Michael Pritchard once said, "You don't stop laughing because you grow old. You grow old because you stop laughing." W.H. Auden once said, "Among those who I like and admire, I can find no common denominator, among those I love, I can: all of them make me laugh." 

In an attempt to find some humor in the ridiculousness that I call my life, I have added an extra page where I will share my random thoughts, funny musings, etc. I think George Carlin put it best when he described his (awesome) book- these are my brain droppings. (It's also the link in the upper right there, "Laughter Is the Best Medicine".) I will be referencing this page as I add things, but just wanted to let you all out there know (if there is anyone out there actually reading my crazy rants) that it exists and will be updated very soon. Enjoy!

Life After (Fill in the Blank)

Earlier, I mentioned how I had gotten my latest rejection from business school, and, disappointed in myself and somewhat set adrift without knowing where to really go, I asked the question, "What now?".

In times like this I think it helps to put things in perspective. To look outside of the tiny world that I live in, the very narrow perspective that I have, to see things in a different way- to stop feeling sorry for myself in such a pathetic way and do something with my life. I came across this article about Paul Terlizzi in the Wall Street Journal. Mr. Terlizzi was the former CEO of Capezio Ballet Makers Inc, which was the biggest US maker of dance shoes since the days of Fred Astaire. Due to the economic downturn, he had been displaced from his company and similarly felt adrift.

His situation is a bit different because, already having achieved the position of CEO, his inclination was to buy another company. His problem was how to find and fund a new company that he could call his own- to find something that fit into what he wanted, to make a choice. However, the sentiment is the same, he felt like he didn't know where to start, where to turn or what to do next.

In his search he believes that the three most critical factors for success includes:

1. Leveraging your best skills
2. Relying more on resourcefulness than networking
3. Letting go of your past

I can certainly understand number 1, and I think I am the testament to number 2 (I am, by nature, a horrible networker. I wish I was better at it, so it's something I consciously work at regularly). I think the thing that struck a chord with me is number 3- letting go of your past. For Mr.Terlizzi, that meant moving away from all his preconceived notions and baggage (for lack of a better word) that he carried with him from his previous job as a CEO. I'm sure that it also meant that he focused on letting go of even the intermediary disappointments that he felt while looking- employers who never called him back, rejections after interviews-so that he could focus on the goal at hand.

I think that maybe this mentality would help me as well. I wonder if maybe I am looking at this whole thing the wrong way- maybe success will always be out of my reach as long as I'm worrying about my previous failures. I think it's a normal to feel insecure after rejection, but maybe these insecurities are holding me back more than helping me. I always analyze and re-analyze all of my previous bschool applications in my mind, from essays to interviews to follow up/ in person meetings, and I ask myself all sorts of questions, "Was there something better I should've said?", "Should I have done this earlier/later?", "Is it possible that I just didn't write this correctly?" and even the more counterproductive, "Maybe I'm just not qualified?", "Could I be shooting too high?", "Maybe I need to readjust my expectations for myelf?".

I think I need to let these worries go now. They've been plaguing me since January, and although they are my way to pretend to control over something that I have no control over, they're just making me crazy. I need to accept that whatever happens will happen, and if it's not what I had hoped for I can always try again next year. At some point in life, I think you need to "roll with the punches" and be proud that you could do that, as that is definitely harder and more productive than feeling sorry for yourself.

Mr. Terlizzi now owns a small company that manufactures pillows. He makes only 25% of what he did at Capezio, but when asked about how he feels, he says "Now, I have this one little business. It's all in one place and it's all mine."

Gentlemen: Open Your Wallets

Okay okay. In hindsight, the title makes me sound like this post will be about gold-digging (if you don't know what that is, click here). But that is misleading. This will be about the magical mobile wallet that keeps lingering just over the horizon. What's the draw of having a mobile wallet? Well, your phone is almost always with you (a study shows that the majority of people in Gen X never have the phone more than 5 feet away from them- even while sleeping), it has the ability to have a lot of cool functionalities that other devices don't have (augmented reality, location-awareness, image recognition, voice recognition, a phone line, direct, mobile connection to the internet, etc.). And why mobile wallet? Well, to get one thing clear, a mobile wallet is NOT the same thing as mobile payments, although the two are related.

Mobile wallet is a bit more broad, because it can encompass things from the bank side of mobile financial functionality (managing loans, viewing bank statements/transaction history, viewing credit scores, applying for auto loans, etc.) AND mobile payments (paying at the point of sale through barcode, NFC, sending money to friends through SMS or bluetooth connections) AND "other" (managing rewards points, receiving coupons, marketing ads, etc.). Why is this appealing? Well, phone penetration continues to grow, smartphone penetration in particular, and is forecasted to surpass "feature phones" (non-smartphones) this year. Moreover, other reports indicate that mobile payment users are going to surpass 375 million by 2015 (from 116M in 2011), and potentially could generate $124 BILLION DOLLARS in transaction volume by 2014 (according to a 2010 Insight Research Corp report). Gartner estimates that the number is closer to $246B globally by 2014. Arthur D. Little estimates that $250B in sales volume by 2012. Whatever way you decide to slice it- whoever you decide to believe- a 3-4% interchange on that type of volume is bound to make anyone a little bit excited.

These numbers even go beyond the potential for value added services- which run the gamut. You have premium SMS services, "small digital purchases" (skins, ringtones, etc.), potential ad revenue (don't laugh- consumer information means big bucks! Google is estimated to have earned more than 95% of its revenue from advertising alone- totaling a whopping $29.3B), potential marketing revenue and app sales.

Seems like there's already some big players in the space. We have the Traditional Financial Players (Visa, MasterCard, etc.), the Nouveau Financial Players (Boku, Zong, even PayPal I would put in this category) and then the The Techies (Google, Apple). So who will win?

1. Traditional Financial Players definitely have the existing consumer base and the customer perception advantage- customers are used to using American Express or Mastercard for their purchases- and they have the rails to process payments
2. Nouveau Financial Players- typically offer more robust capabilities and have very critical, strategic partnerships (eBay and PayPal for example)
3. The Techies- do not have much in the way of processing networks like the traditionals, but they DO have large consumer bases (iTunes users for example, has about 160M users), strong customer relationships and hardware penetration (Android for example)

There has been a lot of buzz recently, esp. around Google/Apple releasing NFC phones (Apple has since rescinded that non-announcement, saying that they were holding off on releasing NFC enabled phones with the iPhone5 because of "the lack of industry standards"). Google in particular is forging ahead, with plans to do a mobile payment pilot in San Francisco and New York this summer, rumors of partnership talks with large merchants like Wal-Mart and other payment partners like First Data. However, the argument is that Google is not going to be deterring from its fous on advertising, and is not targeting the ~1.5% interchange fee for payment, but rather the 10% they would get for referring a sale to a merchant.


The First Data partnership in particular is interesting since they just announced that they are introducing a mobile voucher technology for merchants. They call it mVoucher, and it will allow merchants to send offers to consumers through their mobile phones. Could this current couponing system allow Google easy access to one day allow customers to pay with alternative currency (GooglePoints generates coupons to pay for the full price of purchases), drive customers to use GoogleCheckout (use our coupons but only if you pay through NFC with GoogleCheckout) or is it simply a way to move into Groupon's space?


Call me a Google-phile, but Google seems to be a leader in making new opportunities for themselves. I think that this focus on getting into the consumer's wallets- be it through mobile wallet, couponing, offering special rewards, focusing on NFC- will definitely be lucrative in the future, but will also be largely dependent on first-mover status.

Dark Matter, Dark Energy and Particle X

Let's clear up some terminology from the get go. Ready?

Dark Matter is defined as: Scientists believe dark matter exists throughout the universe because based on our best calculations using Einstein’s equations of gravity, the universe should be much more massive than what all the observable stars and other bright objects would weigh; therefore, scientists believe that there must be more matter out there, we just can’t see it. Thus the name dark matter, and its mysterious nature, since our only tool for observing distant matter is light, so if matter does not emit light, we can only make indirect observations and inferences about its properties.

Dark Energy is defined as:  the unexplained force that is drawing galaxies away from each other, against the pull of gravity, at an accelerated pace.Dark energy is a bit like anti-gravity. Where gravity pulls things together at the more local level, dark energy tugs them apart on the grander scale. Its existence isn't proven, but dark energy is many scientists' best guess to explain the confusing observation that the universe's expansion is speeding up. Experts still don't know why this occurs, but the quest to learn more about dark energy is one of cosmologists' top priorities.

Not to be confused with Anti-Matter, which is: another strange concept in physics - but unlike dark matter, it’s one which we’ve actually observed in labs. In a nutshell, antimatter is matter that has the opposite charge of matter. For example, an electron is a matter particle which has a negative charge, while a positron (also called an antielectron) is an anti-matter particle which has a positive charge. The cool part about this is that when these two things come into contact with each other, they annihilate each other and release massive amounts of energy.

Particle X is: a supermassive particle that was half of what was created in the Big Bang. (There was also anti-X.) Equal amounts of X and anti-X were created in the Big Bang, and then decayed to lighter particles. Each X decayed into either a neutron or two dark-matter particles, called Y and Φ. Every anti-X converted to an anti-neutron or some anti-dark matter.

The most popular candidate for dark matter is a theoretical weakly interacting massive particle, or WIMP, that connects only with the weak nuclear force and gravity, making it undetectable by eyes, radios and telescopes at all wavelengths. Based on current theories, WIMPs are expected to be about 100 times as massive as a proton, and to be their own antiparticle — whenever two WIMPs meet up in space, they annihilate each other.

I think this is interesting, because even as we ponder on what the first moments of the universe might have been like, we still try to give it some sort of order. Scientists predict that if the universe was originally created from matter and anti-matter, then there must be some sort of asymmetry there (likely on the matter side I would predict, but even that can't be proven) or else they would have annihilated each other, and nothingness would still reign.It makes me feel better to know that some of the smartest people in the world still try to impose their control on things outside of their logical control. Even in quantum physics, one of those gray sciences that continually plays in the gray between strict, quantifiable science and theory, it's easy to see the "human-ness" reflected in the science.

Looking at the image above, its strange to see what lengths we go to in an attempt to find scraps of information on what happened before-before (before time began for their to be a "before"). To detect neutrinos and decaying protons (signatures of Particle X), physicists paddle around the Super Kamiokande detector in a rubber raft as it fills with water how low/high tech.

iOS vs. Android

 There's a lot of hullabaloo nowadays between what the platform of the future will be, but, as I mentioned before, I genuinely think it will probably be decided by the app developers. My logic is this- they will develop on whatever platform they prefer, their new apps and functionalities will progress the space and will give the advantage to the preferred platform/ preferred phone. So let's set the stage, what do we know about iOS and Android?

• Android users are more likely to be male than Apple users (73% vs. 57%), but Apple users tend to be slightly older (67% are 44 or younger) than Android users (60% under 34)
• Apple definitely has the edge in terms of app store size, Apple has an app store size of over 300K apps, while the Android app store is only ~200K apps
• In downloads, Apple celebrated their billionth download in April of 2009, whereas Android celebrated their 1 billionth download in July of 2010 
• Apple has the fastest growing app store (20K apps introduced in February 2010) and Android unfortunately is falling behind (2K apps introduced in the same timeframe)
• However, let's factor in when these two competitors began in the market- the iPhone was introduced in July of 2008, and although the first commercially available device was launched in October of 2008 (HTC Dream) it wasn't until the Nexus One was launched as the flagship of the Google/HTC partnership that it became mainstream
• Apple is a lot smarter than Android in terms of free vs. paid apps- 25% are free in Apple, but a whopping 59% are free in Android
• What do users do with their phones? For Apple users, the majority (51%) of the time they are used for games, 15% of the time used for entertainment.Android users tend to be younger, and a lot of their spend is on games as well, although no hard statistics can be found 
• In terms of monetization, Apple is ahead of the game- average price paid is $3.89, whereas Android is only $2.96

So it seems that Apple has a great demographic, young, affluent users, but Android has the NEXT batch of young affluent users. The latest statistic, offered by the IDC/Appcelerator reports show that developer interest has increased in the Android significantly between 2010 and 2011 (almost 10% lift), compared to the incremental lift the iPhone has seen (~3%). In terms of long-term, 54% of app developers say that Android has the best outlook.... Time will tell!

To see the full Distimo report (lots of good stuff) see below:

Distimo CTIA 2010 Presentation

View more presentations from Distimo

2011: Revenge of the Nerds

It's been quite the year for the nerds. In mainstream media, Judd Apatow has championed the underdog- he and his bands of similarly pathetic heroes (Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel) have created movies such as "Role Models" and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". Gone is the Marlboro man, instead, we turn to the new vision of manliness, Isaiah Mustafa, who coined great quotes like, "The Man Your Man Could Smell Like". (Not only does this signal a change in male stereotypes, but also hints at the growing consumer power that women have in the economy nowaday!

Alright, so maybe Isaiah is not quite a nerd (he's still built like a football player!) but who are the types of men who inspire us nowadays? Billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg? Steve Jobs? Even companies are increasingly shifting funds away from the "sexy" projects in marketing and putting them toward the "sexier" (read: more profitable) investments in customer analytics.2010 was the year of groundbreaking stories like Julian Assange, who isn't trying to capitalize on his information sources, but really wants to champion the freedom of information. When asked why he didn't use his entrepreneurial spirit into riches, he famously replied, "I enjoy creating systems on a grand scale, and I enjoy helping people who are vulnerable." And then almost as an afterthought, he added, "And I enjoy crushing bastards". Who are the bastards in this situation? "The Man"?

How do we explain this movement toward the (much deserved) brains in the world? Maybe it's because we need it- global warming is an issue and we instinctively know that the brains have the best probability for survival (or the best ideas- see Cement from Thin Air), or maybe it's because we know that it's financially lucrative (see Steve Jobs) or financially responsible (see Timothy Geithner). Maybe it's just more fun to be a nerd now than ever before (3D television, crazy-immersive games like the Assassins Creed trilogy). Whatever the reason, I think this year will be greater than ever for the nerds.

Most of the reason I think 2011 will be great for nerds is because I think we're at a point in history where we have enough technology to explore the existence we live in and make our lives more efficient and better (trapping CO2 emissions in cement, using light wavelengths and pulses to power supercomputers). Our technology also allows us to access places and things in ways we never have been able to before. (The Hubble Telescope, for example, found the oldest galaxy ever  (13.2 billion years old) in January.) By combining things to explore and ways to explore them, both on our planet or not, I'm excited to see what 2011 will bring.

Mobile Follow Up

I read an interesting article today about how the U.S. is currently lagging behind even the developing world in using cell phones as wallets (mwallets). In a recent survey conducted by Forrester in 2010, they reported that less than 6% of American adults have ever used a mobile wallet. I imagine that this statistic is supposed to make us all shake our heads, reel back and say, "Whaaaaa??? BUT WHY?! We're supposed to be the most powerful nation in the world!"

Well, I have to say that I think that this statistic, although accurate, is unfortunately a bit misleading. The American Adult doesn't really have that many opportunities to use a mobile wallet, even if they wanted to! 69% of those in the Asian market, according to Accenture have used their cell phones as a payment device (as opposed to 26% of Europeans and Americans).

But is there no hope? In late 2010, Starbucks launched a pilot (now fully in market) where they offered a closed-loop merchant system, where consumers could download an app that would produce a barcode. That barcode linked to the users pre-paid account, and allowed users to swipe their barcode to pay for purchases at over 6,800 Starbucks locations all over the U.S. So why were they so successful? Well, there's a lot of draw to a system like this. Firstly, Starbucks specializes in hyper-loyal, frequent users that are guaranteed to make small purchases (increasing the value proposition from a customer perspective and decreasing the amount of risk involved). Secondly, they have the advantage of  guaranteed merchant adoption- 6,800 locations could install the readers and provide a consistent, standardized roll out. Combining a high customer value proposition and guaranteed merchant adoption produces a winning combination.

So the next question is, how do we make this MORE successful? What if Starbucks was to join forces with a Target (they already share retail space)? So any preloaded amount on Starbucks could also be used for Target purchases? What if Starbucks say, partnered with a large issuer, say Visa, to offer an awesome promotion for users to get a free $5 credit? What if Starbucks started partnering with other demographic-friendly companies (Apple?) to offer a new way to spend those loyalty points (apps? games?)?

But there is a limit. It's likely that other merchants will find this model very appealing, but no consumer wants to carry around 6 different apps to pay at 6 different stores. So the real opportunity will lie in the ability to aggregate these barcodes into one app, maybe one that will also use location-based services to know which company's barcode to generate?

My Mobile Life

Any good consultant knows that one of the hardest things about your job is explaining to your friends and family what you do for a living. My mom, for example, thinks that I do IT help-desk type stuff. What are you going to do? As soon as you get into explaining how you "implement/deploy/operationalize" something so that "you can achieve operational alignment across stakeholders/determine the go-forward plan/ move forward with the socialization plan" I feel like any sane person would probably glaze over...Nowadays I just say that I "help companies with their problems" and unless the person I'm talking to has at least some rudimentary understanding of technology (as I do) then I usually just leave it at that.

However, let me also be honest when I say that I love it when my job magically intersects with things that I am genuinely interested in outside of work. One of the things that I'm not secretly really into is mobile stuff- in general. So I'm sure that you'll see lots of posts up here about where I think that mobile might take us or interesting things that I've read in the news. One of the biggest questions in the mobile-related industry right now is "Who's Going to Be the Future Leaders of Mobile? Apple? Android?".

Some people accuse me of being an Apple-hater. That's not actually true. I'm just, as a customer, really hesitant to invest into Apple products because I know that the products I would buy wouldn't work with any of my other existing electronics. Big drag. Especially since I kind of missed the boat when the first iPod/iPhone/iPad came out, I'm now so deeply entrenched in my existing stuff that the initial hurdle of migrating all my stuff is too annoying for me to do. I will say though that Apple has really revolutionized the way people interact with their phones- they added a touch screen, a gyroscope, made the camera mainstream and made companies see the value of making technology as "customer friendly"/intuitive as possible (read: big buttons, bright colors, step by step walkthroughs, etc.).

I think that the main drivers in the future will be three-fold: consumer adoption, enterprise adoption and functionality (which is typically driven by having the "next big thing"- often driven by app developers). I think it's safe to say that both parties have consumer adoption down, and are at about the same place with enterprise adoption (iPhone is slightly ahead since it has been around longer), so the real clincher will really be around app development. Stay tuned... :)

What is the difference between fate and destiny?

So I got "dinged" (nice word for those in the bschool process of saying "sadly rejected") by another business school today....In a spurt of feeling particular depression, I looked up the definitions of the words "fate" and "destiny" online- just to see if there was a difference.

Fate is defined as: something that unavoidably befalls a person; fortune; lot
Destiny is defined as: the predetermined, usually inevitable or irresistible, course of events

I know that these two definitions basically say the same thing, but I feel like the connotations are different. I feel like "fate" is ominous...it implies a lack of control, but in a doom-like way. "Destiny" on the other hand connotates moving towards finally achieving something that you were meant to do- something that you wanted to do. After being dinged, I began to ask myself today a plethora of questions, none that I really have answers for- Am I maybe reaching too high? Is it possible that schools do fit a "type" and I'm just no one's "type"? What can I do to change where I'm at? and most importantly....What now?

I think to say that what is happening right now is my "fate" would be passive- it wouldn't be taking responsibility for where my life has ended up, so I'm hesitant to say that fate is what this is...But looking forward, what is my destiny? Am I meant to go to business school? More importantly, does all of this fate and destiny talk even exist? Maybe everything really is a random collision of time and space. THEN what?

Ironically, I've meant to post a story about what happened when I visited this school a few months ago. Because the school was known for marketing-type classes, I decided to sit in on an accounting class during my school visit. Unsurprisingly, I was the only one that signed up for that particular class. As my student host shuffled me and the 4 other potential students to our class choices, he quickly dropped me off in the lecture hall where my accounting class was supposed to take place, and left with the other students to deliver them to marketing strategy 101. When I sat down, I realized that there was something off about this class. Apparently, the accounting class had moved to a different location, and the Center for Mathematical Studies in Economics and Management Science was hosting a mini-conference on Matching (entitled "Matching: Findings, Flaws and Future"). Parag Pathak, a professor of economics at MIT, he explained "The Mechanism Design Approach to Student Assignment". 

What were the odds? I was sitting in a classroom as a potential student, listening to an MIT professor (a school I already got rejected from) tell me about how public schools choose students for their schools through a student optimal stable mechanism. It was an interesting discussion, but the one thing that he talked about was how the choosing system can be gamed. Schools would often ask students to choose a certain number of schools, and then the schools would choose the students based on a number of factors- but depending on the number of choosing occurring on both sides of the equation- there was gaming happening on both sides. The one thing that stood out to me was when he noted that, the more constraints there were, the easier it was for the system to be gamed. So I can't help but think back now and wonder, is it a constraints issue? Have I somehow mis-gamed? Are there people out there that have gamed the system? Again, I think that would be passing off blame, but it's an interesting idea. I guess the question that I really need to focus on is ...What now?

We Cannot Afford Alternatives

 

I don't know how I missed it, but Theodore Hesburgh (pictured above) recently wrote a very interesting article for the Washington Post entitled "The U.S. Can't Turn Its Back On Peace". For those of you out there who might have no idea who this man is, you can read his wikipedia page, or let me give you a brief overview.

• He is currently president emeritus of the University of Notre Dame
• He was the president of the University of Notre Dame for over 35 years, from 1952-1987 (longest tenure yet!)
• He served on the Civil Rights Commission (yup, that one) since 1957, and has served as chairman since 1969
• One of my favorite quotes from him is "Education is one of the few things people are willing to pay for and not get."
• He speaks multiple languages- at least 5... fluently.

During his life, he was sent to Italy by his seminary and stayed in Rome until he was forced to leave by the outbreak of WWII. I remember when I was at Notre Dame, he would always welcome students to his study and, if you didn't want to talk, he would ask you to read to him, as his sight was going. He asked me numerous times what nationality I was, and would often respond to my answer by offering a "Ni hao." and a smile. He would often tell great stories, and I remember my friend C and I would sometimes go to his study where he would read, sometimes in Italian, and I would listen to the stories that Father Hesburgh and C would share.

The picture above is Father Hesburgh with Martin Luther King. It's probably one of my favorite pictures. While I was at Notre Dame, we got the administration to hang it in La Fortune, our student center.In light of his life, it is unsurprising that he wrote such a heartfelt piece in the Washington Post. If you have the time, I would recommend reading Father Hesburgh's letter- he basically states that although there is a need for a balanced budget, this is not the time for the U.S. to be cutting back on the institutions that specialize in progressing peaceful initiatives. His belief is that in a time where globalization is such an extensive part of all of our lives, even small conflicts can spiral into serious wars. His parting statement is

"We must, as a nation, show courage, steadiness of purpose and commitment to core principles. We cannot afford the alternatives."

When I reflect on his words I am reminded of how lucky my generation has been- even with the economic recession we have never had to face the wars and the hardship that our families faced. I am grateful for that, and it is a good reminder that life is much larger than we often think it is, living in our microcosms of work, school, more work and tiny snippets of weekends. So today, I'm taking a moment to give thanks that, although not perfect, I was born into a life where I am much safer and happier than many other people in the world. Particularly with the recent earthquake and subsequent damage in Japan, it is important that we think outside of ourselves and reach out to others to see how we can help. 

Because we must show courage, steadiness of purpose and commitment to core principles- we cannot afford the alternatives.

.

Cement from Thin Air

Meet Brent Constantz. In a recent article featured in Popular Science's Innovations of the Year ("Cement from Thin Air"). I was able to read about the great things that this man is doing.

He seems to be one of those people that inherently make you feel inadequate. He has had a history of starting multiple companies, has more than 60 patents and invented a way to utilize the way coral grows to find a way to naturally mend bone. Now, he's on to something new, by utilizing that same method to create cement. The way it works seems simple (although I'm sure it's not)- basically, engineers spray mineral rich or brine water through the fluegas of smokestacks. The calcium in the water bonds to the pollution to form cement, much like the way coral combines calcium and bicarbonate (naturally occurring in seawater) to form their exoskeletons.

Brent estimates that his new company, Calera,can produce up to 1,100 tons of cement a day and in doing so, sequester 550 tons of carbon dioxide (which would otherwise be released into the air!).

I love being amazed at the capacity of human ingenuity. He has my vote for innovation of the year!

Is There Space for God in Science?

In college, one of my roommates and best friends was a devoted Catholic and theologian. She was also incredibly intelligent and we had conversations sometimes about the precarious line that she walked- being someone that strongly believed in the benevolence and awesomeness of God and at the same time, still believing that we lived in a science driven, logical world where things like evolution and growing organs in a lab were things to be celebrated and not feared.

Discover Magazine recently had a great article about the face-off occurring between science and the divine. It follows the story of the particle physicist, John Polkinghorne, whom has since become an Anglican priest. Polkinghorne is one of the key stakeholders right now in the discussion of the "proper" place and/or existence of God in science. His focus has specifically centered around quantum physics, which is where I come in, because I am also (building on my last post) secretly very interested in quantum physics.

I personally see these experiments as largely academic, mostly because divine intervention, if it does exist, is by definition going to be hidden from plain view. One of the key interviewees, an atomic/optical physicist named Paul Ewart put it best when he noted that "It would be like proving the reality of an invisible, tasteless, odorless, silent, intangible tiger lurking in your garden. Short of God materializing in the lab and shouting "Look at me!" it is difficult to think of any incontrovertible proof."

That being said, it is interesting to look at the many things that aren't explainable in quantum physics- as these characteristics, even if you don't believe in God, could point to the resolution that maybe there is something fantastic out there- even if it's just the unexplainable nature of incredibly advanced science. One of these characteristics is:

1. Entanglement- In quantum physics, two particles can become twinned in such a way that the measurement of one always determines the properties of the other, no matter how far apart they may be. For example, if Alice and Bob each have "twinned" particles, let's say coins in our example, and Alice flipped her coin in China and  Bob flipped his coin in some gravitationally-intact spaceship in a different universe, they would both get heads or tails, EVERY SINGLE TIME. 
• Interestingly, in a test to show that twinning is affected by something outside of space-time, they deployed twinned particles in beam splitters, and used acoustic waves to modify the perception of space-time on these two particles. (side note: this is based on another very popular theory, the theory of relativity, where Einstein basically said time depends on how quickly you're moving. For example, Alice and Bob could be in two space shuttles moving in different directions, and they could both claim to have flipped their coin first and BOTH be right, depending on perspective. This is important for the experiment because, if you put the twinned particles in a situation where essentially BOTH are being deployed first, then the reaction would truly be unbiased, and there cannot be some sort of cooperation between the two particles.)
• However, on every run, the two photons stayed twinned, meaning that they continued to behave the exact same way on every single iteration of the experiment.

So at this point I'm sure you're wondering so what? Even if this does show an existence of something outside of space-time that affects outcomes (at a particle level at least) that still doesn't show the existence of God. It simply shows that there's something that exists outside of what is typically quantifiable through science. My thought is this- during this experiment, there are many objections that it still doesn't prove the existence of God. My thought is this: even though it doesn't prove the existence of a guy in a robe and a white beard, it does show us something that we can't explain, something that is still awe-inspiring and distinctly unique in this crazy universe we live in. Maybe that mix of intrigue, that feeling of humbleness that there are things larger (or in this case, much, much smaller) than us that are  capable of unexplainable awesome things- maybe that is God. At Catholic school, they always said that "God is love", but maybe God can be other things too- the drive to keep pushing boundaries, exploring, learning- in essence, he IS the human experience?

Some thoughts to ponder if you're interested in these types of things- guess they can't prove that this is undeniably wrong...

Dropping In

There are a few things that I am secretly passionate about. One of these things would undoubtedly be my love of surfing- something that I don't really have time to read about (it has a strong cultural aspect, esp. in California where I'm from but only get to visit a few times a year) and even more rarely get to indulge in. There are many things I love about it- from the zen-type ideas that come to mind when you're in the ocean (swells for example, are actually just pulses of energy, so you're really being pushed and pulled around by the most balanced type of energy pulse, as a wave's crest is directly proportionate to its trough) The surf culture is all about freedom and nature- being outside and enjoying your life in the purest way possible- whether it's in a pod of other surfers bobbing beyond the break or by yourself paddling around. It's a perfect activity for those who want to live in the moment.

In my professional life, I try to remind myself to live in the moment, but it's hard. There's always another email to send- multiple deadlines for seemingly a million different projects. I recently read a great article in Vanity Fair about the famous big-wave rider, Ken Bradshaw (pictured above). This is a great article if you have time to read it, but the one thing that really made me think is a small excerpt in the article, where Ken recounts a conversation that he had with another big-wave rider, Greg Noll.

Bradshaw told me about meeting Noll many years later. He said, “Noll asked me, ‘Do you ever close your eyes?’
“I said, ‘Excuse me?’
“‘At the top of the wave.’
“I said, ‘No! I always want to know where I’m going!’ Then I realized, that’s how he did it. He’d get to some point where it was scary, then just close his eyes and keep going. Because his desire was greater than his fear.”

 And I began to think, maybe that's what it's about. I always believed that success is not about money (although it would be foolish to think that it doesn't ease your life to some extent) and I knew it wasn't about notoriety, so what is it about? And more importantly, is it something you'll know when you get there? Or are there signs you can look for so you know when you're getting colder or warmer?

When your desire is greater than your fear. Fear holds people back all the time- in relationships, in work, in friendships. But, you're probably making good decisions if you reflect on your life and the actions that you make are ones that you do despite your fear. It's like dropping in on a wave, but for life, because you want to push yourself to those points where things get scary- having to change jobs, having to move cities, trying to get into business school, buying a house or whatever- you have to just have to keep going and prove that your desire is greater than your fear.

Because I haven't figured out what the signs are for making bad decisions, I'm going to stick with this one and start looking for signs that I'm making some good ones.

Women in Business- Sitting at the Table

Let's share some happy statistics and not so happy statistics about women in business...


Happy Statistics:

• Women have strong purchasing power, and are estimated to make ~80% of all consumer purchases
• Dove, after launching their "real women" campaign, saw a 600% increase in sales
• Studies have shown that women are a critical component in running successful organizations
• Profits at Fortune 500 firms that most aggressively promoted women were 34% higher than industry medians
• European firms with the highest proportion of women in power saw their stock value climb 64% over two years, compared with an average of 47%
•  Between 1997 and 2002, female led firms grew at 20% while overall firms grew by just 7%

• Leaving all other things equal, increasing the female workforce to male levels would boost US GDP by 9%

Not So Happy Statistics:

• 2% of Fortune 500 CEOs are women
• Women make up less than 13% of all board members in America
• Female MBAs are paid an average of $4,600 less than their male counterparts in salary
• Women still make ~80 cents on the dollar
• Women senior leaders were more than 3x more likely to have lost their jobs due to downsizing or closure
• Although women have increased in the ranks of higher education (50.4%), the average business school still only has ~35% female population

Bottom line- it's a tough world out there! On a particularly rough day at work (consulting unfortunately is a largely male-dominated field which presents its own very unique problems- more on that later), I found myself looking for inspiration and a little bit of a pick-me-up. I stumbled on this Ted Talk featuring Sheryl Sandberg (COO, Facebook). I find her viewpoint refreshing- she's not pressing judgments- not blaming women that choose to start a family on "keeping women back", not blaming corporate women on "not doing enough" to further our female domination. I think that a couple of her points are spot on- all too often in my job, especially at the younger levels, I see women that are timid (perfectly normal) especially at the outset of their career. I think that being timid at the outset is definitely normal, but there needs to be a balance. Getting acclimated, learning the politics and generally settling in is okay and good at the outset, but I've seen that it's all too easy to become comfortable with sitting in the corner, taking notes.

When I first started in consulting, one of the women I worked with told me to never take notes. "You shouldn't ever take notes because, if you do, they assume that you'll do it all the time. Before you know it, that's all you do. Then you'll never be able to add value to the team. You'll never get promoted without adding value..". She was a bit intense. But the logic holds, after awhile, not only are you bottom of the team totem pole, but you're the designated note taker. Since no one likes that role, you're stuck there for awhile.

So to echo Sheryl's advice- go ahead and sit at the table ladies. You have nothing to lose. I wouldn't go so far to say you refuse to do them, but make sure that you're a member of the team- not just the note taker. It's a relative concept- do the actions you would normally think are "aggressive", because although you find them aggressive, it's more likely that it's very acceptable/expected in the workplace. Pull up a chair. Sit at the table.


Sources:

• Catalyst MBA Information
• Higher Education Statistics 

Ethnomathematics & The Meaning of Life?

So to set context, I am currently reading a book by Alex Bellos, a British journalist who graduated from Oxford with a degree in mathematics and philosophy. The book is called Here's Looking at Euclid, and for someone like me, who is not necessarily the most comfortable with numbers (due to some childhood trauma) but always wanted to be closer to math, this book is life changing. If you want a different perspective on how mathematics affects your life- I highly recommend it.

What is ethnomathematics? Ethnomathematics is the study of how different cultures approach math, and how math has been shaped by religion... an interesting concept for someone like me, where math is almost an absolute- something where there's not many shades of gray and where numbers mostly provide cold, hard data- who to fire, how much to spend, how much profit is coming in...etc. (Consultants use math a lot, but rarely think about it from an ethnomathematical sense.)

One of the first stories he tells is about a Pierre Pica, a linguist who now works at the National Centre for Scientific Research in France. For some years he had been studying the Munduruku tribe in the Amazon and had found that they view math in an interesting way. Unlike most of the developed world who see numbers in a linear way (above) where each dot say from 1 to 10 dots is evenly spaced, the Munduruku saw them in a logarithmic way. For people who have been used to seeing rulers, tape measurers and number lines since a young age, this linear way makes sense. For the Munduruku, a logarithmic view (seeing the distance/value between 1 and 2 to be larger than the distance/value between 2 and 3-see below) is a result of necessity. Bellos/Pica's theory is that, in a culture where survival (getting food to eat, assessing risk,etc.) is based on speed of assessment, logarithmic scales make more sense because they allow for faster estimation. (They might not need to know exactly how much fruit is in a tree, but they need to know if, faced with enemies, if there are more of them than Munduruku.)

I began to think, although this form of mathematical thinking is foreign to me, having grown up with number lines since kindergarten, I do still see some of this thinking in my every day life. I don't count this way, but when I reflect on my life, the perspective of my accomplishments seem to be getting progressively less important. Granted, this could be a relative concept, when you were young, you didn't have many accomplishments except for maybe graduating middle school, then high school and then going to college. Now your accomplishments are more frequent but less impactful- getting promotions, working on firm contribution, doing well on a given project... So in light of this new information, I encourage all of those other workaholics out there- those who put too much pressure on themselves with ridiculous expectations- RELAX.

It's normal that as you get older, even the accomplishments that seemed so important to you in high school seem insignificant now. But you've worked hard enough to give yourself a (small) pat on the back, and be proud of what you've done. I say this because, looking around me, my colleagues and friends are stressed out, tired, sleep deprived (no one can live on 4-6 hours of sleep a night for months at a time) and burnt out. They find it difficult to enjoy what small things they have accomplished because their brains are already working on the next problem/project/opportunity for growth. I say this with certainty because I am the same way. So, it's Sunday, let's take some time to take a breath, try to put our lives in perspective and enjoy the rest of the weekend.Without taking joy in the little things, it seems highly probable that we might begin to miss the big things. So whether you think the meaning of life comes in small or big milestones- don't miss them!