Today was one of my favorite Saturdays - Dan Ariely's column was in the Wall Street Journal! I'll offer my perspective on his advice in a later post, but what I want to focus on in this post is a phrase which Ariely used that I had not heard of before, the veil of ignorance. … Continue reading Using the Veil of Ignorance to Create a Just Society
Here is another attempt at “flash fiction“, writing a 99-word blog post in response to a prompt. The prompt this week is “old-world charm“: In 1494, Luca Pacioli, a Franciscan friar, wrote one of the first published descriptions of double-entry bookkeeping. He described journals, ledgers, year-end closing entries, and proposed that a trial balance be used … Continue reading Carrot Ranch Flash Fiction: Old-World Charm
Yesterday, one of my colleagues (Bill O.) was giving a brief welcome speech to this year's incoming freshmen in the school of business, and one part caught my attention: "There are only seven colors in the rainbow, but look at what Michaelangelo and van Gogh were able to do with those colors. There are only … Continue reading Making Do with What You’ve Got
For the past 21 years, Beloit Collge has created the annual Mindset List, a compilation of what has always and never been true for new college freshmen. This year, the list has been taken over by Marist College. Here is some information from the Mindset List for the class of 2023: Variously known as Gen Z, Gen … Continue reading Wanna Feel Old? Let Me Introduce You to the Class of 2023
At the end of this past academic year, I decided to send an email to my former students, asking them to share advice on what helped them to succeed academically and what helped them to succeed socially. I sent the email to two groups of students - seniors who had just graduated, and freshmen who … Continue reading How to Succeed Academically and Socially as a College Freshman: Advice from Recent Grads and Last Year’s Freshmen
Earlier this week Good Morning America did a feature story on something I had never heard of, the "Sunday Scaries". As the story notes, the Sunday Scaries, Sunday Night Blues, or Sunday Depression are all terms used to describe the anticipatory anxiety, the feeling of dread, for the week ahead. It's a phenomenon that has … Continue reading Forget the Sunday Scaries, I’ve Got the Semester Scaries
It's taken nearly 40 years, but I finally have a worthy competitor as my answer to the question, "What's your favorite movie?" Since 1981, it has always been Chariots of Fire, a British historical drama film that tells the fact-based story of two athletes in the 1924 Olympics: Eric Liddell, a devout Scottish Christian who … Continue reading Blinded by the Awesomeness
"I'm giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know that you can reach them." In this Pinkcast, Dan looks at Daniel Coyle's book "The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups". In the book, Coyle highlights a large study of teachers giving feedback to students where it was found … Continue reading Better Feedback in Just 19 Words
Who would have known that a decision I made as a nine-year-old would have predicted the career I have chosen for the past 33 years. When I was about nine-years-old I discovered that I liked swimming, and with my parents' encouragement, I joined the local swim team. I think back then swimming was a more … Continue reading A Choice I Made as a Nine-Year-Old Determined My Career Path
Every year, Cannes Lions explores the value of creativity in branded communication: from product and service development to the creative strategy, execution, and impact. Since I'm such a fan of commercials, I always look forward to seeing what the winning ads were from the Festival. The winning ad in the Film Lions category was a … Continue reading Is This the Best Grade School Performance Ever?
Borden's Blather 