Wednesday, August 28, 2013

"One shitty thing" theory


I loved this Letter from the Editor on risk. I've re-read it a couple times this week.
...APW Managing Editor Maddie has what she calls the “One Shitty Thing,” theory. Her hypothesis is that she tends to get along best with people who seem like they have it all together, but when you get to know them you find out that they’ve survived at least one terrible thing in their lives. 
This theory is a good reminder that we tend to assume we know all about someone with a limited number of facts, and we don’t. (White kid, sitting at a seminar table at NYU—that tells you everything right? Wrong.) But it also speaks to the fact that those of us who have fought our way out of one tough circumstance or another tend to have unifying qualities. We have hustle, we have drive. We have the ability to pass as someone or something we’re not, if it’s what’s needed for survival. We know how to scan the horizon for any small scrap of luck, and use it to our advantage. We can build something from nothing, because we always have. 
No risk is worse than staying where we are. We will work harder and longer than you thought possible, if we know that’s what it takes. And while in some ways we have nothing to lose, at our core we know we have everything to lose. We will do anything to avoid returning to our original circumstances. And that is the reason hustlers are a force to be reckoned with. That is why they can be a little terrifying...
Read the entire post here at APW. (Great find, Becky and Catherine!)

When the Mind Wanders, Happiness Also Strays

The New York Times wrote about a Harvard study about wandering minds. Fascinating excerpt:
On average throughout all the quarter-million responses, minds were wandering 47 percent of the time. That figure surprised the researchers, Matthew Killingsworth and Daniel Gilbert. “I find it kind of weird now to look down a crowded street and realize that half the people aren’t really there,” Dr. Gilbert says.
Reminds me of the TED talk on Mindfulness by Andy Puddicombe

The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship

No one said building a company was easy. But it's time to be honest about how brutal it really is--and the price so many founders secretly pay. Thought this logo was hilarious:
"It's like a man riding a lion. People think, 'This guy's brave.' And he's thinking, 'How the hell did I get on a lion, and how do I keep from getting eaten?"

Read the article in Inc. (Thanks, Jules)

Paralympian's wedding dance also his 1st

A Paralympian dances for the first time in his life at his own wedding to Jason Mraz's "I Won't Give Up."



  (Thanks, Claire)

Loneliness Illustrated So Beautifully You Will Need To Tell Someone



Read more in UpWorthy. Mind-blown. So true. (Thanks, Jordan)

Friday, August 23, 2013

How Not to Talk to Your Kids


This New York Magazine article covers the inverse power of praise -- that praise for "innate" characteristics like how "smart" someone is, actually makes them more likely to fear failure and not take risks than praise for things like "hard work." Concrete examples for how to give the best type of feedback to your co-workers and family members.

Also reminds me of this article of how to talk to little girls.

(Thanks, Cassie!)

The Opt-Out Generation Wants Back In

The NYT magazine, in a 2003 cover article by Lisa Belkin, called the phenomenon of women leaving work the “Opt-Out Revolution.”

Now, nine years later, the magazine tried to re-interview the same women -- many didn't want to be interviewed. Of those who did, many were struggling to re-enter the workforce. Check out the New York Times Magazine article. (Thanks, Alessia and Claire)

5 ways a 14-year-old crushed an arrogant interviewer

Read more in PR Daily. (Thanks, Cassie)

Also check out Rachel Parent's website

Slow ideas


Some innovations spread fast. How do you speed the ones that don’t? Read more in the New Yorker.

It also reminds me of the transformational change work that McKinsey helps lead. (Thanks, Jules)

The Awesomest 7-Year Postdoc or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Tenure-Track Faculty Life

Love the "happy folder" and when she chooses (or not) to take advice. Read more in Scientific America. (Thanks, Jules)

Georgia Tech welcome speech stuns freshmen, goes viral


Read more at CNN. (Thanks, Amira!)

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

How to work out from home with kids


"First you beckon the weight..." Too cute and hilarious. (Thanks, Garo!)

The Gospel According to ‘Me’

Interesting excerpt. Much better when read in context:
...Work is no longer a series of obligations to be fulfilled for the sake of sustenance: it is the expression of one’s authentic self. With the extraordinary rise of internships — not just filled by college students anymore, but more and more by working-age adults — people from sufficiently privileged backgrounds  are even prepared to work without pay  because it allows them to “grow” as persons. Every aspect of one’s existence is meant to water some fantasy of growth. 
But here’s the rub: if one believes that there is an intimate connection between one’s authentic self and glittering success at work, then the experience of failure and forced unemployment is accepted as one’s own fault. I feel shame for losing my job. I am morally culpable for the corporation’s decision that I am excess to requirements. 
To take this one step further: the failure of others is explained by their merely partial enlightenment for which they, and they alone, are to be held responsible. At the heart of the ethic of authenticity is a profound selfishness and callous disregard of others. As New Age interpreters of Buddha say, “You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.”...
Read more in Opinionator in the NYT. (Thanks, Alessia)

2013 Harvard Commencement Speech // Oprah Winfrey


Read more about Oprah's speech in Salon. I thought the part about validation was the most memorable.

5 foods you should avoid eating


(Thanks, Claire)

Stephen Fry Takes A Firm Stance On Grammar. He Doesn't Go The Way You'd Think.


Check out more in UpWorthy. (Thanks, Chris)

Skype's Touching New Ads Reunite Faraway Families





Check out more videos in Mashable. (Thanks, Claire)

32 Tricks You Can Do With Wolfram Alpha, The Most Useful Site In The History Of The Internet

1. You can find the nutrition facts for literally any food, as customized as you'd like it.

6. You can also look at long-term energy price trends for all sorts of locations.

Read more about Wolfram Alpha in Business Insider. (Thanks, Brandon)

Take Back Your Pregnancy

Modern pregnancy comes with a long list of strict rules, but does it have to? An economist examines the data and finds room for choice amid the familiar limits. Read more in the WSJ. (Thanks, Tom)

Space Station Hosts First Google Hangout



(Thanks, Lucy)

Sunday, August 18, 2013

A Hidden Camera Show Goes To Texas. It Did Not Expect To Find This.



Hell yeah Texas! Teared up when he read that letter. Read more in Upworthy(Thanks, Claire)

Over a Million Are Denied Bank Accounts for Past Errors

Stories like this are infuriating in our financial system. Read more in DealBook. (Thanks, Tom)

Why men need women

Interesting finding:
WHAT makes some men miserly and others generous? What motivated Bill Gates, for example, to make more than $28 billion in philanthropic gifts while many of his billionaire peers kept relatively tightfisted control over their personal fortunes?
New evidence reveals a surprising answer. The mere presence of female family members — even infants — can be enough to nudge men in the generous direction.
Read more in the NYT. (Thanks, Kevin and Becky)

Dubstep



(Thanks, Lucy)

Jimmy Rose - "Coal Keeps the Lights On" Original Song



(Thanks, Lucy)

Olivia Munn is Ellen's New BFF

First interview in 2012...

Olivia Munn interview May 25 2012 by Monocito

... and then 2013. Olivia Munn might be my new favorite person.


(Thanks, Cassie)

40 maps that will help you make sense of the world


Read more at Twisted Sifter. (Thanks, Amira)

Grandma to Be Surprised with Literal Bun in Oven

Christina Bianco sings 'Total Eclipse Of The Heart' as Adele and 18 other divas

Video: 25 Days of Giant Panda Cubs

"From One Second To The Next" Documentary - It Can Wait



Documentary on texting and driving. Worth every minute of the 30 minute film. Incredibly powerful.

Makes me miss Texas

Adorable New Mammal Species Found 'In Plain Sight'

Too cute! Read more at ABC. (Thanks, Tom)

Spending the week in Portland.... sister introduced me to Portlandia





(Thanks, Cassie)

13 Financial Tips For Newlyweds

Personally think these tips in Forbes are important to discuss before becoming newly weds! (Thanks, Claire)

Immersion

MIT Labs has put together an incredible tool that will analyze your Gmail metadata. Fascinating to see my connections visually! (Thanks, Will and Cassie)

Empathy: The Human Connection to Patient Care



Read more at the Cleveland Clinic.

Tiny Tampon Queen Stars in Best Menstrual Marketing Ever


Read more about the HelloFlo start-up in Jezebel. (Thanks, Jules)

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

George Saunders’s Advice to Graduates

Wonderful message on kindness and confronting your own "Ellen." It's flying around the internet. Read the full graduation speech in the NYT. (Thanks, Caroline and Julia)

Meaning Is Healthier Than Happiness

People who are happy but have little-to-no sense of meaning in their lives have the same gene expression patterns as people who are enduring chronic adversity. Pretty interesting excerpt:
People whose levels of happiness and meaning line up, and people who have a strong sense of meaning but are not necessarily happy, showed a deactivation of the adversity stress response. Their bodies were not preparing them for the bacterial infections that we get when we are alone or in trouble, but for the viral infections we get when surrounded by a lot of other people.
Read more in the Atlantic. It reminds me of a post from last January. (Thanks, Alessia)

6 Angry Letters Kids Sent Neil deGrasse Tyson About Pluto

These could not be cuter:

Read more in Mental Floss(Thanks, JC!)

An Economics Lesson for Joe Biden

If the minimum wage tracked inflation, it would be $4.07 per hour. Read more in the WSJ. (Thanks, Tom)

Do not marry before age 30

Good excerpt:
If you don’t love yourself and commit to your own happiness, then you’ll constantly change yourself to make other people happy. Until you really know who you are and what you want with complete confidence, do not commit your life to someone else. You can do more for other people when you stay connected to your own dreams.
Read Joy Chen's post. (Thanks, Cassie)

Ending Poverty by Giving the Poor Money

Can you alleviate poverty by just giving money to the poor?
It seems like a tautology, sure. But for development experts, it is a subject of serious research. Say you give $100 to a poor person in a developing country with no strings attached, rather than providing goods or services like food or schooling, or $100 to use for a specific purpose. Does the money simply provide a one-time boost to her consumption? Or might it help her make longer-term investments, raising her standard of living down the line? And if it does help her down the line, might such cash transfers be underutilized as a broad development tool, too?
Read more in Economix. (Thanks, Alessia)

An $18 Million Lesson in Handling Credit Report Errors

What happens if your credit report contains someone else's mistakes? Read more in the NYT.

Welcome to the ‘Sharing Economy’

A history of Airbnb and the sharing economy (e.g., Uber). Read more in the NYT by Thomas Friedman. (Thanks, Alessia)

Why Women Aren’t C.E.O.s, According to Women Who Almost Were

"It’s not a pipeline problem. It’s about loneliness, competition and deeply rooted barriers." Read more in the NYT .