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January 18, 2020Alex's BlogBy: Alex Voss | Contributing AOJ Journalist
You know those moments, those moments where you completely lose yourself. That moment of realization where you don’t actually know who you are anymore. It is in that moment where your heart starts racing from the adrenaline flowing into your system all stemming from the fear. You drown in your own fear as you try to understand what to do next. You end up in your own mind, catching yourself wondering “where do I belong?”.
Losing yourself is not an easy thing to handle. Fortunately, the situation is not as hopelessness as it may feel, you have to lose yourself to find yourself. When we lose ourselves, we go through a lot of depression, fear, anxiety, and isolation. Feeling lost is not an uncommon feeling as we get older. Every individual goes through mental changes and becomes a different version of themself with every passing year, sometimes better, sometimes worse. When someone is feeling lost and does not quite understand themself completely, it is important to ensure a healthy environment. A healthy environment includes the type of people someone is hanging out with and the daily activities that someone partakes in as well. We cannot allow our minds to open up and connect with our heart and soul if we do not provide our mind our minds with a healthy lifestyle.
Part of allowing our mind, heart, and soul to connect is exercising our minds through meditation. Meditation allows us to really engage in our minds and truly allow our full focus on just our minds alone. It can be tough to access our minds spiritually, but that is why meditation is so important, it expands our minds little by little each time. When an individual’s soul, mind, and heart does not all connect as one, their body and mind do not function to itheir fullest physical and mental capacity. Once we truly connect with our minds and understand our minds, we improve and rebuild the relationship with ourselves.
The most important relationship you will ever have is the one with yourself. Loving ourselves is not just about physically taking care of ourselves; it is about respecting ourselves, appreciating ourselves, accepting ourselves, and loving ourselvers. Just like the old saying goes, “you cannot love someone until you first learn to love yourself.” [...]
January 2, 2020Education / Original Objective ArticlesBy Gittan Alicia | Contributing AOJ Journalist
Backlinking
is an important part of building your website and improving search engine
optimization (SEO). Done right, backlinking will help your site and boost your
rankings by search engines. However, done wrong, backlinking can lower your
ranking, or worse, get you blacklisted by a search engine. That is why it is
important to understand what exactly backlinking is, why you should backlink,
and how you should backlink.
What is Backlinking?
Backlinking
is a fairly straightforward term. In essence, it involves the linking between
sites. In terms of your site, it is the linking from other sites to your site.
Not to be confused with the linking from your site to other sites. Backlinking
involves another site including a link to your site or content on your site,
and this link is known as a backlink. For example, you write a blog about
caterpillars and the stages they go through in transforming into butterflies,
then someone named Chris writes an article explaining the life cycle of
butterflies and includes a link to your article in his citations. This would be
known as a backlink. Backlinks can be either “nofollow” or “dofollow,” which
impact your site differently.
“nofollow” Backlinks
A “nofollow”
backlink does not give any credit to your site if someone creates a backlink to
your site. The tag “rel=’nofollow’” included in an HTML link on a website tells
search engine crawlers not to follow the link back to your site, and thus, does
not increase your website authority nor ranking. “Nofollow” backlinks neither
harm nor benefit your website, but act as a defense for sites who do not wish
to risk harming their rankings. Google also uses “nofollow” links to prevent
spam sites from ranking higher than other sites and has incorporated “nofollow”
links into its algorithm.
“dofollow” Backlinks
A “dofollow”
backlink gives credit to your site if someone creates a backlink to your site.
These links usually exclude any sort of tag and if the tag “rel=’nofollow’” is
excluded from the HTML link, the odds are that the backlink is a “dofollow” and
will impact your site rankings. As suggested by the name, “dofollow” backlinks
will be followed by search engine crawlers back to your website, and these
crawlers will report the data from the backlink back to the search engine,
affecting your website rank.
Determining whether a Backlink is “nofollow’ or “dofollow”
To determine if a backlink to your site is a “nofollow” or “dofollow” link there is an easy way to check. First, open up the browser page containing the link to your site. Next, right-click on the link and click inspect.
Look at the highlighted HTML code that opens
up on the side. If the words “rel=’nofollow’” appear, then the backlink to your
site is a “nofollow” link and does not affect your site rank. If the words
“rel=’nofollow’” do not appear, then the backlink to your site is a “dofollow”
link and does affect your site rank.
Why is Backlinking Important?
Backlinking is an important SEO tool that can improve your
site’s ranking by search engines. Search engine crawlers look for “dofollow”
backlinks from other sites to yours. If the backlinks picked up by the crawlers
are high-quality, meaning they come from reliable and authoritative sites that
are relevant to your site, your site’s ranking by the search engine increases.
However, if the backlinks to your site are from low-quality sites, meaning
their unreliable sites with little to no authority and unrelated content, your
ranking by the search engine will decrease. The idea of a backlink is to asses
how trustworthy your site is and the quality of your site’s content, which is
done by looking at other sites that link to your site.
How to Backlink
When you are backlinking for your site, you want to be more
concerned about the quality and less concerned about the quantity. This means you
will want to check the quality of the sites you want to backlink with and you
want to avoid bad backlinks that could lower your ranking. A great free tool
for checking the quality of a site you want to backlink with or a site that has
backlinked with you is MozBar.
Downloading MozBar
To download MozBar, go to www.moz.com
in a chrome browser (note that MozBar has been discontinued for the Firefox
browser, although it may be mentioned as an option on the site), then on the
top menu bar click free SEO tools and in the menu that appears click on the MozBar
link.
If instead of a dropdown menu appearing when you click free
SEO tools, a new page opens up, scroll down and click “Try Moz Bar”.
Regardless of which method you had to use, you will be brought to a page with a button that says “Download MozBar Free”, click this button and you will be brought to the chrome web store.
Once in the chrome web store, click the “Add to Chrome”
button and MozBar will be installed onto your browser. Once MozBar is installed
you will need to create an account to see site information.
To activate MozBar and create an account, you will need to
click on the little blue MozBar icon that should appear in your browser next to
the upper search bar. Once this is clicked, MozBar will activate and a bar will
appear at the top of the page. Click “create account” on this bar. (note that
if the bar does not show up as soon as you click the MozBar icon, wait a minute
or two, if it still does not show up, try searching something and opening up a
random webpage as I have done in this image)
Once you create an account for MozBar, if you are not
automatically logged in, click the MozBar icon next to the upper search bar to
turn off MozBar, wait five to ten seconds, then click the MozBar icon again. If
you are still not logged in, click the login button on the MozBar that appears
and log in. Once you are logged in, if MozBar is turned on, it will look
something like this:
Using MozBar
MozBar can give you useful insights on other sites for
consideration on whether or not they may be a good backlink for your site. You
can look at sites with relevant content to yours and look at the domain
authority of the site (DA) and page authority of the site (PA). Generally, you
would want to backlink with a website that has a high domain and page
authority.
Domain authority is a prediction of how well a website may
perform on search engine result pages, where the higher the score on a 1 – 100
scale, the better the predicted performance of a website. The domain authority
of a site is calculated using several factors. Including quality of backlinks,
and the number of backlinks. Domain authority is meant to be used as a
comparison between sites. In terms of backlinking, domain authority can be used
to look at a certain niche of sites you are trying to build backlinks from, the
higher the domain authority, the better. As a general rule of thumb, except in
special instances, you may want to aim for domain authorities of 40 and higher.
Also, note that domain authority is determined logarithmically, meaning there
is a greater gap between 60 and 70 than there is between 30 and 40 in the
scoring. Thus, it is easier to grow a site’s domain authority from 30 to 40
than from 60 to 70.
Page authority is a prediction of how well a site’s specific
page will rank on a search engine results page. Page authority is very similar
to domain authority and is based on a 1-100 scale. Several factors are used to
determine page authority, many of them similar to domain authority, however,
domain authority itself is a factor in determining page authority. Page
authority in addition to domain authority can be helpful in deciding which
sites you would like to backlink with. The page authority on a site where your
link may be included or the page including the category a piece of content you
post may be under can tell you the chances of users coming to your site and how
high quality that link may be. Just like domain authority, page authority is a
comparative tool and the higher the page authority the better.
If your website is new or you have not done much with your
site yet, do not worry if your website authority is low. The MozBar ranking
system sets all new sites at a domain authority of 0. You can improve this
score through backlinking and other SEO improvement methods, but it takes time.
Backlinking By Featured Content
One good way to increase backlinks for your site is by doing
guest blogs on other sites that feature content within your niche. You want to
make sure these are sites with good domain authority and a fairly large
audience. By guest posting on authoritative sites, you will not only be
increasing your backlinks but also be expanding and reaching a larger potential
audience for your site. You could also increase your social media following by
including your social media information in your guest post.
To find good sites to guest blog on, you could type in
search queries in a search engine that include a keyword that defines your site
plus something like “contribute”, “guest post”, “write for”, etc. You can also
take a look at your site’s competitors, these are other sites in the same niche
as you, promoting similar content. Look at the backlinks your competitors have
and any guest posts they may have made. Try guest posting on the sites your
competitors are and keep up with the type of content they’re creating. By
looking at a competitor’s content you can see what is being asked and assess
the quality of the content. If you think you can create a piece of content that
outmatches your competitor, do so, and get it featured as a guest post on the
same sites as your competitors.
To know where your competitors are guest posting, you may be able to follow them on social media to find out. Sometimes competitors will post on social media about their guest posts on other sites so their audiences will go there and check it out. This can give you an idea of the major sites your competitors are guest posting on. You could also use a paid service like Monitor Backlinks to look at your competitor’s backlinks, which can aid you in figuring out which sites to guest post on. There is also a free backlink checking service to look at your competitor’s backlinks on NielPatel, all you need to do is sign in with your Google account on the site and type your competitor’s site in the search.
When writing guest posts, you will also need to find a way
to get your content to link back to your site. There a few ways to do this. One
way is to ask the site you are writing the guest post for to include a link
back to your site. Another way is to include links to similar articles you have
written in your post. For instance, if you are writing about different types of
graphics cards, in your article as your writing you could link back to an
article you have written solely about gaming graphics cards in detail, so the
reader can find additional information from you if they are interested. Check
out this
article for more information about backlinking through guest posts.
Backlinking By Becoming a Source
You can use your expertise and writing skills to become a
source for other bloggers and journalists. Being a source means that others
quote you or link back to your site as a place where they got quality
information from. Becoming a source also has a side benefit of increasing your
site traffic and building awareness about your site.
One method to aid in becoming a source is signing up as an
expert in HARO. HARO is a free service that connects expert sources in a niche
to bloggers and journalists. In this case, you would be the expert source in
whatever niche your site is based on. HARO will send you emails from writer’s
with queries, and you can reply to those that best match your site, be sure to
include your credentials in the response. If a writer selects your response,
they may quote you in their article, though they may not always reply to your
response.
Another method to become a source is writing quality content
that may rank I search engine results. When people are researching articles,
they tend to cite similar articles that appear at the top of the search engine
results, which is why writing top-ranking content is important. Writing ranking
content is not as hard as it seems either. First, do some research by searching
topics your business would cover. In each search, look at what comes up, and
pay attention to the quality, length, and detail of each, as well as the
authority of the site that wrote it. If you think that any of these criteria
are lacking and you could create better, create that content. For instance, if
another site wrote a high quality, but a brief article on what to look for when
buying a phone case, you could rank well by expanding on that article and
providing more detail.
Backlinking by Social Media
While social media posts involve “nofollow” backlinks, which
will not improve your site’s backlinks, social media does increase your site’s
awareness. It is very difficult to backlink if no one knows about your site,
but social media can help with that. By connecting with members of social media
and building your following, your site’s awareness will increase, and with
that, so will backlinking naturally. If you gain a large enough following that
likes what you offer, your followers will repost and talk about your site,
drawing the attention of journalists and bloggers and increasing your site’s
traffic. This alone also increases the authority of your site in the eyes of
the public and sites you wish to guest post on, thus, increasing the number of
backlinks you will receive. So be sure to keep up on your social media!
Wrapping it all Up
Backlinking can be an extremely useful tool for improving your
site’s search engine rankings when done right. Make sure the backlinks to your
site are high-quality, meaning they come from authoritative and reliable sites
that are relevant to your site. Do not backlink to unreliable sites nor sites
that are irrelevant to your site, and if you see that there is a low-quality
backlink to your site, try to resolve the issue by contacting the site owner.
Remember, backlinking is less about quantity and more about quality. Reach out
to well-known authoritative sites related to your niche, create high-quality
content that can rank, and expand your social media presence and you should be
set to build your backlinking empire and improve your search engine rankings.
Want to see more content about web development? Follow me on
Instagram @gittanalicia and/or follow me on facebook @AOJ.gittanalicia
Citations:
Nica, Irina. “11 Creative (But 100% White
Hat!) Ways to Earn Backlinks in 2020.” HubSpot Blog, 16 Dec. 2019,
blog.hubspot.com/marketing/backlink-strategies. Accessed 30 Dec. 2019.Tarcomnicu,
Felix. “10 Smart Ways to Earn or Build Backlinks to Your
Website.” Entrepreneur,
14 Aug. 2015, www.entrepreneur.com/article/247984. Accessed
30 Dec. 2019.Moz.
“Backlinks.” Moz,
moz.com/learn/seo/backlinks. Accessed 30 Dec. 2019. “What
is a Backlink? How to Get More Backlinks.” WPBeginner,
www.wpbeginner.com/glossary/backlinks/. Accessed 30 Dec. 2019.“Page
Authority and Domain Authority.” LongTailPro,
23 Dec. 2019,
longtailpro.com/what-is-page-authority-and-domain-authority/. Accessed
30 Dec. 2019.“What
Are Dofollow And Nofollow Backlinks?” Mangools,
mangools.com/blog/seopedia/dofollow-nofollow-backlinks/. Accessed 30 Dec. 2019. [...]
January 1, 2020EducationFlorida
[embeddoc url=”http://aoj.scarp.info/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/SpecialtyCoffeeHouseEvaluationForm-vScarp2.pdf” download=”all”]
Maryland [...]
December 29, 2019Alex's BlogBy: Alex Voss | Contributing AOJ Journalist
There is no such thing as a perfect relationship. There are many challenges couples face throughout their relationships. One of many struggles happens to be electronics. Believe it or not many relationships are based off of social media.
Instead of sitting down and eating together, many couples are too busy posting all over social media, making the world believe their relationship is perfect. In reality, these type of relationships develop a lot of conflict due to the lack of attention and effort put towards the relationship. Each individual person changes throughout their lifetimes. If someone’s partner isn’t putting forth the effort to spend time with them or even have a conversation with them, eventually they won’t even truly know or understand who their partner is as an individual person. Society has made social media a bigger priority than one’s own relationships!
These days we aren’t interested in knowing one another, but rather post all over social media living a fake life. It’s natural to compare one another, but the obsession with looking perfect with the perfect life all over social media has gotten our priorities way out of line. We should be making plans to spend time with another, to understand one another, and to discuss one another’s short term and long term goals. Most relationships these days aren’t lasting very long and part of that is because of the simple fact , we don’t care for our partners the way we should be. How often do we take the time to sit down for dinner every night with our partners to discuss how our weeks are going? Most people don’t even truly know anything about the person they are with. Could you imagine telling someone you barely know that you love them? Well, that’s what is happening to our society. We throw around “I love you” , we blow each other off so that everyone on social media gets more attention than the one person who is supposed to be spending their lives with us. Relationships are based off of loving someone because we don’t want to be alone.
Phones are great for contacting someone when we need to, but phones and social media have become our biggest enemy. When you truly love someone and truly want to spend your life with someone, a phone shouldn’t be getting all of your attention! Loving someone or even just wanting someone means you put in the effort to truly be there for them. No one should be right next to their partner but still feel lonely. We need to start putting more effort into showing we love each other, simple words with no actions means nothing. [...]
December 28, 2019EducationBy: Gittan
Alicica | Contributing AOJ Journalist
Building your first website can be a difficult process when you do not know what website builder is best for you. It is no secret that someone starting a business is looking to start a different type of website than a personal blogger, and depending on your desires for your website, you are going to want a different website builder.
Before you even begin looking at the different options for a website builder, you are going to need to ask yourself a few questions to narrow down what you are looking for. Ask yourself, am I developing a website with multiple pages? Am I selling products on my website, if so, are they physical or virtual? Do I offer services, if so, are they in-person or online? How much money am I willing to put towards my website? How much time am I willing to put into my website? Do I want something user friendly, or am I more concerned with doing exactly what I want to do? Do I want to have access to programming portions of my website? Am I okay with downloading additional plugins?
Perhaps write down the above questions and write out your answers so you can effectively decide what is best for what you are looking for. If you are unsure about any of the above questions, no worries, perhaps with some insight into the various website builders, the answer will become clearer. All website building platforms mentioned will be based off the questions presented above.
WordPress
WordPress is the most widely used website builder, and that
is because it can do just about everything! Whether you are building a website
with one or multiple pages, WordPress works great with hundreds of themes to
choose from so you can get the look you want for your website. If you are
selling products on your website, regardless of whether they are virtual or
physical, WordPress lets you do just that with its WooCommerce
plugin. WordPress also comes with a catalog of plugins to choose for your
website developed by other WordPress users so you can meet your websites needs,
so if you are a service-based site, there are surely WordPress plugins for you.
In terms of price, to
get the most out of WordPress, it is not free, but you can start out with the
free version to test out a variety of features and the paid version of WordPress
is fairly cheap, starting at $4 a month, not including the domain name, which
will be about $18 per year.
In terms of being user
friendly, WordPress dominates over other website builders. Everything you need to
use for WordPress is neatly organized in a sidebar on the backend of the site,
and WordPress has recently improved user-friendly features for posts and pages.
Furthermore, there are tutorials for WordPress
if you need help learning to use the website builder.
If you are a programmer like me and you are looking for a website builder that gives you the option of coding in your own additions to the site, WordPress is a viable option for you. The WordPress website builder is largely PHP based, so you will need to know PHP if you want to make any major additions. There are, however, some options to code in additions to posts and pages with HTML using WordPress. The only downside to using WordPress if you wish to code in your own additions is that you may need to setup a child theme so WordPress updates do not erase your code.
Overall, WordPress lets you do just about anything you want
to if you purchase a version of it. If you are looking for something
user-friendly that allows you to do exactly what you want to, WordPress allows
just that, however, you will likely need to be willing to download plugins. For
those who do not want to spend a million hours developing their website,
WordPress is a good option, but it does require you to manual update plugins,
themes, and WordPress itself. However, from experience, the maintenance takes
very little time at all, max 5 minutes, unless it is a major WordPress update,
which is not too often. You can also schedule when you would like to post on
WordPress. A potential problem WordPress poses for those with little time is
learning to use WordPress itself, but regardless of which website builder you
use, there will be some kind of learning curve.
GoDaddy
GoDaddy is another website builder that allows for the development of a website with one or multiple pages and offers a variety of templates to choose from for developing your website. However, if you wish to sell products on your site, starting on GoDaddy is kind of pricy. To include ecommerce on your GoDaddy website, you will need to purchase the ecommerce plan at $25 a month, which includes options for businesses providing services. In addition, you must pay for a domain name on the GoDaddy website.
If you are concerned with how user friendly GoDaddy is considered to be user friendly, but perhaps not quite as user friendly as WordPress. Just like WordPress, GoDaddy gives a great amount of room for user customization, so you can create the website you want. In terms of programming and customization, GoDaddy is based on JavaScript and does allow you to embed HTML, CSS, and JavaScript into your website. However, GoDaddy does warn that embedding code is not something to be done by beginners because it can affect the function of the entire site.
Depending on the version of GoDaddy you get, GoDaddy will automatically update and maintain your site, so you may not need to take out time for site maintenance. There are also scheduling features to schedule your posts whenever you would like on GoDaddy. Unlike WordPress, GoDaddy is not as plugin based, but you can include plugins on your site with GoDaddy Pro.
Overall, GoDaddy is similar to WordPress, but its services are a little more in depth and pricier. GoDaddy allows you to centralize all your site needs in one place, which makes it a bit pricier. You can purchase your SSL certificate and manage it from GoDaddy, get your webhosting from GoDaddy, choose and manage your emails from GoDaddy, and build your website from GoDaddy. On top of that, GoDaddy gives you the choice of either using WordPress or GoDaddy as a website builder.
Wix
Wix takes a more modern and user-friendly approach to website
development and allows for one or multiple pages. Website building with Wix includes
a drag and drop feature, which certainly reduces some of the customization
options to make the website exactly how you want it. However, if you are a
programmer, and want the website to turn out exactly how you wish, Wix may just
be the right option for you.
With their IDE and web development tool Corvid, a programmer
has access to design the website however they wish. While you code the website
with Corvid, you are given a visual on your changes. The code used for Corvid
is JavaScript and you can check out all the features Corvid provides here.
In terms of selling products and services, Wix is a viable option,
but just like GoDaddy, it will cost you extra, at least $23. You will also need
to pay for a domain name with Wix and have the option to purchase web hosting
by Wix as well, just like GoDaddy. In terms of time management for your site,
designing a site with Wix should be relatively time efficient, assuming you are
not coding. Also, your purchase of a premium Wix Plan comes with Wix
Webhosting, which will setup your site for you and manage your sites security.
Conclusion
Given the
descriptions and information about these website builders, hopefully you have
somewhat of an idea about what website builder you would like to choose. If you
are wondering, the AOJ website you are reading this on was built using
WordPress, which from my own personal experience, I would recommend for its
vast amount of available customization so you can design your website exactly
how you want. WordPress’s plugins are also very useful for adding features that
may not be built into the WordPress site. For more information on using
WordPress to develop your website, check out my article How
to Setup a Website Like We Did.
Good luck on
your website building adventures! [...]
December 25, 2019Blogs / Religion, Morals, and Everyday LifeFor everyone the holidays mean something just a little bit
different. Why can we not take the attitude we take toward our holiday
traditions and apply it to everyday life. There is no judging of what is the correct
or proper way to celebrate the holiday season. This a broad generalization about
family traditions and is not about religious beliefs or practices, that topic
would require more than a blog to delve into. For example, you could compare two Christian
families whom attend the same church. One family attends the Christmas Eve
service than bakes cookies while the other family goes out to eat on Christmas
Eve and attends the Christmas morning service. Neither family tradition is the same
yet they both attend the same church. As well neither family would judge the
others tradition as unimportant. Traditions serve a purpose and it is a purpose
that has great importance to family units. Generally, traditions are celebrated
or shared as a family unit so they help preserve families and bring families
together. Yet no one tradition is the same from family unit to family unit. Yet
a majority of families have a holiday tradition that they undertake this
holiday season. It is the one time of year when judgement of traditions is
withheld. If we could all apply that overall tolerance to everyday, society in general
would flourish. So, eat, drink and be
merry or whatever variety of traditions your family shares and keep that spirit
into the new year. Tolerance and patience to all.
Enjoy what you read? Follow
me on FB at Maria Ecrivain and on Twitter @M.E. Speaks1. Stay informed and keep
it real! -M.E. [...]
December 20, 2019Alex's BlogBy: Alex Voss | Contributing AOJ Journalist
Today’s society has an issue with accepting people for
who they are. Each one of us is our own individual human. Some of us have
similarities but overall we don’t have the exact same minds. Our bodies are all
different as well, none of us have the exact same features.
If we all could just accept our differences there wouldn’t be as much hate in this world. We go each and every day for our entire lives walking around this earth together, why would it make sense to spend that time hating each other? The time we spend on hating each other is time we could instead spend on building each other up and helping create a better society for not only ourselves but for our children as well. We don’t need to like every person we meet but we can respect them instead of tearing them down and making them feel worthless. Worthless is just one of the ways we make each other feel in today’s society, we push people to the brink of suicide and then just keep on going as if it’s nothing. It takes no effort at all to walk past someone with a simple hello but for some reason, in today’s society, we would rather see someone cry for no reason at all other than that we simply don’t agree with the way they express themselves or the simple beliefs they have. Why should we waste time beating each other down like that when we could live much better and happier lives?
Spread the love this holiday season, don’t hate! [...]
December 13, 2019Blogs / Religion, Morals, and Everyday LifeCount down to the holidays. Everyone is out shopping and
preparing for the holidays. What are you doing to prepare for the Holidays? Some
ideas to make your holiday special this year. Spend some time with your family
doing something together. Anything will do: play cards, a board game, do a holiday
scavenger hunt, watch a holiday movie heck even cook a meal together. Share your favorite holiday memories from when
you were children. Distance an issue then facetime while doing the same thing,
like stream or watch the same movie. While not all families are close it only
takes one to start a family tradition. Want to get everyone excited than try to
chose something everyone will enjoy. Paint night at someone’s kitchen table or old
re-runs of a show everyone loved to watch as children. Our family all has found
memories of my father’s eggnog and look forward to sharing a glass. This is the
only time of year my Dad makes it and it is his “secret” family recipe. It’s a
tradition no matter whose house the holiday festivities occur at Dad brings the
eggnog.
Create a holiday tradition of your own. Pass on whatever kindness and generosity you can this season. Donate to a food bank or a local shelter. Or perhaps, visit a local nursing home and drop off some homemade cookies or just hang out and chat. Every act of random kindness is multiplied exponentially so give the world your ripple of holiday cheer! Let that car merge happily or maybe allow the woman with 2 items to go in front of you at the grocery store all with a smile on your face. Being kind does not require you spend money. So, get out there and spend that holiday cheer generously on those around you!
Enjoy what you read? Follow
me on FB at Maria Ecrivain and on Twitter @M.E. Speaks1. Stay informed and keep
it real! -M.E. [...]
November 27, 2019Objective Personal FinanceBy Doktor Prax Evad | Contributing AOJ Journalist
This video shows how to use the Excel Spreadsheet developed by ObjectiveJournalist.com. Suppose you have put money into one investment, such as an S&P 500 mutual fund, but you have multiple purposes for the money in that investment. You can think of each purpose as something akin to a “goal” or “savings goal.” If you put money into the single investment at different times and toward different savings goals, it becomes difficult to manually keep track of how much is allocated toward each savings goal, especially as the single investment experiences volatile returns. Our spreadsheet allows you to track allocation of the investment balance across savings goals in a simple, easy fashion. Best of all, the “Investment Allocated for Multiple Goals” spreadsheet is free to download from our website at aoj.scarp.info
Download At: https://aoj.scarp.info/product/one-investment-with-multiple-savings-goals/
For details on how to use the spreadsheet, check out our YouTube tutorial. [...]
October 27, 2019Education / Original Objective ArticlesGittan Alicia | Contributing AOJ Journalist
A website can be a very important aspect of a business, depending on the type of business and its stage in growth. In our case, a website was essential, our entire company is based on our unique take as a journalism business and our branding depends heavily on our website. Not only that, but where else are we going to post our articles and blogs so they can be freely associated with our values? Thus, we created a website via WordPress and this blog post will tell you how you can too!
We started by finding a host for our website. Of course, you could sign up for the free version of WordPress without another hosting service, but for the greater freedom and customization of our site, to run the site securely, and to create emails associated with the site, we found a separate host (A2 Hosting). There are several hosts supporting WordPress that you could find, but first you should assess what host would work best for your goals, and whether or not you even need a separate host from WordPress at all. This will require a bit of research, and you should definitely look at several web hosts to determine what works best both financially and functionally. Also, note that several web hosts support WordPress, but there are also several that don’t. The same applies to other website development platforms. This blog will only cover designing a website with WordPress.
At first, WordPress can be a little overwhelming, and you may be looking at all those features wondering what in the world you are supposed to do, but do not fret, you will figure it out and many of those features are not as scary as they seem. I will first give you a brief overview of the side panel you will see in what is known as the “back end” of your site. The “front end” of a site is what your site visitors will see, and the back end is only what you and other people you may give access to edit your site may see. The back end should look something like this:
Do not worry if your backend does not look exactly like mine, I have added some extra plugins for my business needs, which I will explain later. The most important side panel features are posts, categories, media, pages, comments, appearance, users, tools, settings, and depending on the business, WooCommerce and products. That may seem like a lot, but it really is not, it is just enough to do most of what you want to do. You can learn how to use each of these side panel features on the WordPress site itself, or through YouTube videos. Your website may not come with WooCommerce as a plugin, but if you are selling products on your site, WooCommerce is a well-rated plugin to use and you can download it by searching on the plugins page, which can be accessed by clicking plugins on the side panel.
One of the first things you will want to look at when setting up your site is themes. Click on appearance on the side panel and then themes to access your themes and the database to search for more themes to use. Look through these themes and read up on them. You will probably want to use a free theme, but be sure to find one that allows for the format you would like to incorporate into your site that would work best for your business. For instance, AOJ used a theme with a grid layout, because that was how we wanted to organize our posts, and it was the most suitable for what we do, which is write articles.
There are
also several essential features to a website. You will want a home page, and
this homepage will need to make a clear statement to your audience about what
your business is or who you are. You will want to incorporate branding that
accurately defines your business or person. You will want a logo of some sort,
this should be relatively simple, relate to your business or person, and leave
the reader with a clear impression of your business. Our AOJ logo shows we shine
a light on truth with our articles.
You will also want to include your name or business name, and this should be simple and memorable. If your site visitor cannot remember your name or do not know your name, they may not come back. We think, “objective journalists” is an easy slogan to remember for our website, and in fact, you can find us at aoj.scarp.info. A slogan may also be useful in defining your business. Lots of business and people add taglines, for instance, Nike has “just do it”, and Meow Mix has the slogan “Tastes So Good, Cats Ask for it by Name”.
Of course,
there are so many other features of a website to look at as well. You may want
to take a look at the plugin features. These allow you to incorporate other
features into your site that are not already provided by default in WordPress.
So, look at these other features and plugins and see what works best. If
something doesn’t work, there are so many other things to try. Do not be
discouraged, because with your website there is flexibility, and if worst comes
to worst, you can easily change your site. A website is yours to customize and
create, so have fun with it! [...]
September 30, 2019Alex's BlogBy: Alex Voss | Contributing AOJ Journalist
Today’s world is filled with so much hate. Instead of caring for one another, we seem to worry more about disrespecting one another . Destroying one another is not how we should be living our lives. Part of living is being grateful towards everything you have , especially your own beating heart. We should be showing our appreciation for being alive by doing something good for the world. We are all human and there’s no point in putting each other down when we all bleed the same color at the end of the day. Many of us destroy the peace in our mind by worrying more about disrespecting others throughout life. It is understandable to go through life, not liking every person you meet, but the important thing is to respect each other , hating on each other doesn’t exactly do any good for others , let alone ourselves. If each and every one of us could do the simple task of respecting each other , maybe we could acquire more peace in the world. The key to a happy life is to fill this world with kindness , respect and acceptance of one another. Learning to live life this way can help fill your life with peace. [...]
September 20, 2019Original Opinionated Articles / PoliticsBy: Marie Ecrivain / Contributing AOJ journalist
To err is human. Why then has society become so obsessed with people’s mistakes, poor choices or lack of good judgement. No one is perfect. To point fingers and ostracize someone for a mistake made especially decades ago seems well hypocritical. I am not referring to law breaking behavior nor am I referring to unprovable allegations. (those are additional subjects but not addressed here) Perhaps a poor decision was made in one’s youth should they be held to accountability and their subsequent life’s accomplishments tossed away as useless. To repeat no one is perfect.
Mistakes
Mistakes, how often do we all make mistakes. I venture to say we all make mistakes on an almost regular basis. It is how we all improve or learn. Without making some mistakes success would be less likely to occur. Ah but are social mistakes acceptable because basically those are typically the type of mistakes people are being lambasted for.
Accountability
Is it okay to hold a person accountable with today’s societal norms on a behavior or action that occurred decades ago? Well if you are uncertain how about we take yesterday’s society norms and judge today. For example, in the 1930’s it was unusual for woman to have children out of wedlock to do so was unacceptable and frowned upon only 8.2% of children were born out of wedlock. Today, approximately 40% of births are to unwed mothers. Should we judge all those mothers on society norms which are no longer subscribed to? No one today is shocked by an unwed mother. To put that in perspective now we take today’s movement like the me-too movement and apply it to a decade when woman was treated differently and that was accepted by most of society. I am not casting judgement on if either of the societal behaviors are acceptable simply pointing out the general view of the public.
Emotions
The lack of good judgement can occur in almost scenario. Humans are plagued by emotions. Emotions can facilitate a behavior that exhibits a lack of good judgement. Hence, that is how many youths learn to maintain composure when emotional. Often times it is the experience of becoming overemotional in public that helps one develop the knowledge of how to avoid that situation again. With the addition of social media in today’s world it has become an even tougher challenge. In additional those moments of poor judgement are more and more popularized adding an incentive rather than a deterrent.( for more about behaviors read “Etiquette in America?“) This plays right into the hyper focus of the mainstream media on publicizing and emphasizing a long-ago mistake made by others to up the emotions both by the alleged violator of socially acceptable behavior and those that read about the faux pas. Is that the right standard to hold?
Scales
How can a person anticipate in the future how their behaviors or actions will be perceived? The scale of “societal judgement “has not yet been determined. Yet now that is the new scale being applied to select individuals by the main stream media and by some political figures. Furthermore, not only is this a dangerous approach to take it also disregards any possibility that the person has learned from his previous actions. If we were to apply this conclusion than the entire prison reform program should be abandoned. There is no possibility for any learning or correction and certainly no forgiveness. Probation before judgement should also be discontinued because by the main stream media standards there is no learning the transgression has occurred and the guilty is forever sullied. There is no possible improvement or applied learning process. The media wants to have its cake and eat it to.
Ex-post facto
In the social application the accused has “broken” a social law
that was not put into law until after long after that social transgression had
occurred. No ex-post-facto law shall be passed in the constitution though this
clause is primarily interpreted to apply to criminal cases is an interesting mindset
to attribute to the intentions of the founding framers of the constitution and
what they hoped to avoid. I am surmising this very application of standards currently
being exercised in the mainstream media on social changes would be a charge
they would be rallying against. A man can not avoid committing a social faux pas
if it is not one when he commits it.
Social norms vary and evolve therefor no one can truly know all the “appropriate” things to say and do. To hold any person to the perfection standard is unreasonable. Similarly, everyone has made a social blunder and no one should be held accountable and never forgiven for it. This new approach by the mainstream media has taken bullying to a new level. As well it has tied cinder-blocks to the feet of compassion and forgiveness. That is not American. No one is perfect.
Sources:
https://www.census.gov/prod/99pubs/p23-197.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr67/nvsr67_08-508.pdf
https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/jenniferlerner/files/annual_review_manuscript_june_16_final.final_.pdf
https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/10.1146/annurev-psych-010416-044022
https://www.heritage.org/constitution/#!/articles/1/essays/63/ex-post-factohttps://www.usconstitution.net/xconst_A1Sec9.html [...]
September 2, 2019Original Objective Articles / PoliticsBy: Maria Ecrivain | Contributing AOJ Journalist
Every 5 years, the US Government is required by law to publish dietary guidelines for Americans. This publication is completed with the collaboration of two agencies, the United States Department of Agriculture and the Health and Human Services, with a Federal Advisory Committee. Dietary suggestions were voluntarily provided to the public by the US government for over 100 years it was not until 1990 that Congress passed a law requiring that the dietary guidelines for Americans be compiled and released every 5 years. Therefore, a change in nutritional policy can be expected as this new guideline will now include recommendations for pregnant and nursing women, and infants. Previously, recommendations were for ages 2 and up. The role of the US Government concerning Americans nutritional needs have changed since the government first started making suggestions.
Origination of US Government dietary suggestions
Originally, the US Government was looking into the
nutritional value and costs associated with eating choices. As well, it was
believed that healthier and less expensive yet nutritional eating options could
be shared with the public to improve productivity and overall health.
Concurrently looking for better yielding seeds, plants and animals for the US
to import, in 1839, Congress established the Agriculture Division within the
patent department for improved agricultural processes to benefit the U.S. In 1862,
Abraham Lincoln established the Department of Agriculture with Isaac Newton (Not
to be confused with Sir Isaac Newton who articulated the 3 laws of motion and
passed away in 1727) as the Commissioner of it. The Department of Agriculture
was not a cabinet until 1889.
Evolution of dietary standards
Initially, the US Government made dietary suggestions based on nutritional deficiencies in order to prevent illnesses caused by a lack of certain nutrients. They also included suggestions for safer food handling. In the early to mid-1900’s, overall health was being improved by the discovery of vitamins and minerals and adequate consumption of those items vital for healthier people. The recommended daily allowance (RDA) is the end result of that research. After the mid 1900’s, the science communities started disagreeing on suggested changes to dietary suggestions as the overall food that was nutrient dense was more readily available. In developed countries, they shifted focus to making sure all children and youths were well nourished within their country. Beyond that, malnourishment was still a world concern in poorer nations that remained a priority though follow through on a consistent plan was not executed. In the last quarter of the 20th century, the focus changed as health issues related to nutrient deficiencies, in general, were substantially lower, but other chronic health concerns in the public were rising. This concern birthed the first dietary guidelines. Micro-nutrients, sanitation, and other factors were added to the nutritional focus as well. From the end of the 20th century up to now, the focus on dietary needs has progressed with large studies that provided evidence-based theories for improved diets and more specific suggestions for smaller subsets of the populations.
How the target audience of the US Government dietary
suggestions has changed
Until the 1980’s, the government voluntarily provided information generally in the form of a pamphlet/brochure. The information was designed for the public to read and utilize. Much of the information was in the form of eating guidelines for healthy Americans. In the mid 1990’s, the guidelines also included ages 2 and up. Subsequently, in the early 2000’s the intended reader of the dietary guidelines began to shift from consumers and citizens, to also include health professionals and policymakers. By the 2005 guidelines, the target audience was only health professionals and policymakers. The brochure had evolved from 20 pages to close to 100 while the technical report went from 20 pages to close to 600 pages. The guidelines are now used by policymakers and other government agencies and health professionals in advising the American public on healthy eating choices. Federal agencies use this information when making recommendations for agencies like USAD national school lunch programs, WIC (Woman, Infants and Children’s program), the Department of Defense, and Veteran’s Programs to list a few.
The impact US Dietary Guidelines has had in America
Overall, the goal from the beginning of the concept of dietary guidelines in the US was to improve the health of its citizenry. Generally, since the presentation of dietary guidelines the life span of Americans has improved, as well as mortality rates in children, but these improvements cannot be summarily attributed to improved nutrition. However, according to the CDC 2012 Nutritional Report, 90% of Americans are getting enough of many nutrients and vitamins. Therefore, progress has been made over the past century to improve Americans health.
Where are the guidelines headed?
As the US dietary guidelines become more complex with added suggestions, it is becoming more difficult for the average American to interpret the information. This is forcing Americans to rely on abbreviated generic pamphlets and their medical professionals. With the increased complexity and length of the Dietary Guidelines, it is less likely that medical professionals and policymakers will be well versed in all the suggestions. Additionally, the suggestions for individuals vary based on many criteria like age and gender, while this adds to better results for subsets of the population, it lengthens the amount of information required to be sifted through for proper advisement from those sharing the information. The goal is still to improve the health of Americans, yet the process for sharing and procuring that information has become more complicated over the decades.
In Summary
The US Dietary Guidelines for 2020 will be completed after 5 years of research and review along with public meetings and public comments. Included in this upcoming guideline will be recommendations for not just ages 2 and up, but also for pregnant woman and infants less than 2 years old. The guidelines are now a collaboration of several departments within the US Government, along with a committee, volunteers, and public input. The end result is a publication for the US government to utilize for other agencies within it, as well as for health professionals and policymakers. Involved in the assembly of the dietary guidelines are statistics, many of which have been tracked since the early 1900’s. While the goal has always been to improve the health of US citizens, the focus of improvement within the guidelines has transitioned from preventing nutrient deficient diseases to lessening chronic health problems and most recently to improving the overall development of children from in utero to adulthood.
Sources:
http://www.commodityfoods.org/Action-Updates/7584153
https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov/media/38
https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400530/pdf/hist/oes_1894_farm_bul_23.pdf
http://www.archive.org/stream/unitedstatesfood00unit#page/n15/mode/2up
https://www.bmj.com/content/361/bmj.k2392
https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/introduction/dietary-guidelines-for-americans/
Food Science Meets Food Politics: A History of USDA’s Nutritional Guidelines
https://www.cdc.gov/nutritionreport/
https://kresserinstitute.com/well-fed-but-undernourished-an-american-epidemic/ [...]
August 26, 2019Business / Original Objective ArticlesBy: Virgil Jacobs | Contributing AOJ Journalist
Every employer that wishes to ascend in the business world has encountered a type of obstacle related to the question of “Who to hire.” Quality of hiring decisions generally mean the difference between the successful team that produces great quantities of products and satisfaction, with great care and the most profit; compared to those that made inferior hiring decisions resulting potentially in lazy employees that do not necessarily want to work or work where they are employed, which can consequently bring down the team around them. The reduction of overall morale can cause the poor qualities in workers to propagate to their colleagues. It could be the manager and/or boss as well, incapable or unable to lead or advise this good and/or bad team. Which will be mentioned after the workers as a sort of way to align the points in a way that represents the pyramid of industry. Understanding that the foundations are the most important part of a structure, and starting there.
Foundations
Thanks to the definitions of “https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/list-of-collar-workers-1404546729-1”
Blue Collar
Workers who are given the menial hourly wage; laborers who do physical work.
White Collar
Professional, office types of jobs and workers, typically a cubicle environment. Includes management positions above said office jobs.
Black Collar
Workers of this caliber are depicted to be miners and oil workers. However, in special cases “Black-Market” workers fall into this category.
Gold collar
People who are highly skilled and knowledgeable in their work, includes doctors, lawyers, scientists, and other professionals. Used sometimes to represent lower wage workers, who have their parents to support them.
Open collar
A person who works from the home environment, specifically through the internet
Grey Collar
People who choose to continue working after their retirement age.
Pink collar
Lower wage jobs, relating to receptionists and librarians.
Green Collar
Environmental jobs, energy jobs for alternate energy sources. Including, but not limited to work with solar panels.
From this list, you could create your very own list of general collars required to complete a job. This provides a measuring stick that you can line up to those people you are considering for hire. Although, the guidelines aren’t just set in stone by the collars themselves, keep in mind that you are hiring for the job. With this in mind, it opens plenty of doors and opportunities, while also providing the ability to shut said doors, and forcefully deny these opportunities. The goal is to create the perfect team with the best supervisors for this team, however, if you are working from your home alone, this would include different criteria. Moving on, different collared jobs require different kinds of workers, different skills, and different inner mechanisms. Like a car or an ATV, so assuming that this car and/or ATV are your team, How do you make one?
Diversity
The scope of different jobs in the world that require different sets of skills is pretty much impossible to list. So, as said above, it is easier to list out the people, and then single them out. After singling people out, you can measure their ability and their type of skillset to the job of best fit. Say, you wouldn’t want a cement truck tire on a bicycle. So, it’s important to measure, and then place these parts into and onto the correct vehicle. Well, now an even better question arises; What parts are best for what? But before we can answer that, we need to understand what we want to make first.
Frame
This is the most protective part of the car; it is the backbone of your business. When you crash, this is the saving grace of hard work and people who are prepared for the future and perhaps even mistakes of diversity. If you pile all of your attention into the engine of the car, to work faster, sure you’ll obtain an absurd amount of speed; but you’ll have less protection than is designed to help for a crash (mistake in the business), and interestingly enough the faster you go the more likely you are to crash. The frame of your business is a plan, MAKE plans, it’s good to be prepared, but also good for the intended consequences to take shape. Then, the idea of your business can take form as an improvement after those plans. But the plans are important, if you don’t build the plans as they are written, you are likely to cause a crash, to go off the intended plans, you are perhaps literally misaligning the assembly line of the car that everyone is working different parts of. An unexpected part falls through the next worker, and the plan is abandoned at this point. If the plan isn’t followed, the decisions that will be made next could be incredibly horrid for the business, and less likely to be good for it.
Engine
This is the incentive for the car to work. Think of your engine as a salary; the larger the salary is, the more people will admire it and wish to be a part of your business. Although, an engine is a very complex mechanism within a car, just as the salary payout of a business is very complex as well. You must monitor/balance running the business correctly so it retains stability; keeping the salary not too high based on the job, nor too low to not even come close to matching the effort it takes to complete the action of the job. Staying careful to not overheat and strain any of the small and hard to get parts. After maintaining this balance, you now have an incentive for people to go forward with your business as well as a good sound, good flow, and good running, which, as a general view of your business, is what it should be like. Different engines, of course, attract different types of people. This is the same as different businesses attract different people. The phrase goes vice versa. After establishing your frame and your engine, you now have a car (business) that is taking shape, and something people might like to buy, invest, and/or be a part of. However, a task that must remain the head of concern is making an engine that your business can use to attract the best fitting collar worker, that’s the key.
Wheels
What will carry your business? Your employees, and that is precisely what a wheel is constituted to be. The wheel is an irreplaceable concept because without it your engine will be exerting power but go nowhere. If you have no employees, then how will you move forward in your business, which includes yourself if in the parameters of being “Self Employed”. I’m sure we’ve all had the Difficulty of “popping” a tire or having a flat tire. These two are categorized to be separate for a reason. Overflowing the tire, or putting too much stress on an employee, will cause him/her to burst from stress/tension. On the other hand, keeping your tire/employee underworked will mean the rest of the wheels must pick up the lack of energy exerted, creating a type of free rider.
It’s important to monitor your tire’s pressure, due to the fluctuation in work from diversity through the changing of tires. Considering other environmental factors too, tires morph and warp due to time itself. Check them occasionally (However more often would be recommended), if not frequently, to make sure the weight of your business is being carried equally by all of your workers; thus, ensuring the “equal” distribution of work among them. Assuming each is the correct fit for your car, you must figure out the correct pressure of the tire for the job you require it to do. Pressure being work, and different jobs in businesses have different payments (Reference to the engine). This will determine what job you are doing, and that is why the (Frame) that was previously stated, is important. It pretty much plans the entire point of your car, what it does, and what parts you need. After this, it’s pretty much just assembling the car until it works, there is no guarantee you’ll get it right the first time. But that is why Mechanics, or (Business consultants) exist.
Steering
wheel
Manager, to some… dreadful, which
is not a good indicator. The scale of effectiveness greatly appreciates a happier
reaction to that word. Sort of like this, imagine you are the passenger in a
car, while the driver, however, is not proficient in turning, or perhaps using
his signals to evade crashes. Well, this brings about it a preamble to
destruction very quickly. It highlights an abundance of character in an
individual, which is where they’re going, and how they get there, and such will
dictate their leadership skills or attention span of the car (business) itself.
It’s a matter of great importance to have a decent driver, someone who
understands the route, and the car itself. That way he/she who is the operator
can utilize both of those factors into a flawless and easy approach to
business. The byproduct of this choice to hire someone who is appropriate for
driving your car, understanding of your directions, and perhaps sometimes even
points out an easier path to take, will bring about a well lead team, and
someone who will be careful with concerns of safety, and proper procedures. Altogether,
such a choice will be of great benefit to you and your business.
Where do you get the parts for your car?
Where should I hire my workers? Well, it depends on what you want them to do, and how well you wish for them to perform what they do. It’s all about quality, and then your preference. Let’s explore this idea. This scale is a magnifying glass to apply traits that would be beneficial to your business. Consider this as an identifier for the right fitting parts to your car. Although, finding parts that are the right price is extremely difficult at times, warranting a professional. But a rough outline always helps, narrow down the search.
Consistency Consistency ranges from how often your employee shows up, to how often they keep their demeanor or good personality. A resume can be used as a main source to discover which traits an individual may possess; it may also allow you to find an isolated group and/or person that does their job efficiently for a reasonable price. The resume may also give you insight on the consistency that they’ve had at other jobs previously.
Completion Completion is self-evident; will this employee complete what they’re needed to do? This is notorious among new hires in every job field. It’s something that managers, directors, and bosses around the world have keened their eyes for. If you are a teen rising into the responsibility of job hood, you should be prepared to do what your job asks you to do.
Experience Experience is not something that can always be expected, especially for first-time employees, but if it’s a factor, say a job that requires experience, the employer needs to understand the past experience of the potential employee. In the case of the car analogy, this isn’t so fitting; an older car part that has seen use may not be the best to use. However, a person is a different story. If the person in question has experience in your job field, you should attempt to find out this experience to understand the abilities and prior knowledge that the said individual has, before granting them the job opportunity.
Efficiency How well does this person work? Tying in the other trait magnifications, how well does this person combine all their experience, work ethic, and demeanor into an individual that works well. This can be obtained by contacting the individual’s previous jobs, through the record of the individual, or by their resume. Focus on these and you’ll have a narrowed search for people that will be beneficial for your business.
So all that is listed above describes what to look for as you search for parts, but you still don’t know where you can find these parts (employees) for your business. Well, it all really depends on the collar worker you’re looking for; more detail about where to find the two most commonly employed collars is listed below.
Blue Collar
“https://www.pennlive.com/news/2017/04/does_pennsylvania_have_the_mos.html”
“Indiana has the most blue-collar jobs with 21.4 percent.”
If your a blue-collar Employer, Indiana would be a great place to look for an abundance of employees. However, blue-collar workers can be found just about anywhere. High school students looking for a part-time job may be eager to take blue-collar jobs and a good source for employees as well.
White Collar
“https://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2018/05/29/the-cities-creating-the-most-white-collar-jobs-2018/#6429f1103920”
“Texas is home to three of the 10 metro areas that have generated
the strongest job growth over the past decade, led by No. 1 Austin where the
business services job count has expanded 37.1% since 2012 and 7.2% last year.”
Texas is considered a good area to be searching for white collar workers. Many potential white collar workers can be found graduating from universities as well and may be great for hire, as they will be eagerly searching for the jobs their education has promised them.
Closing Points
What is stated above are the general ideas for finding your desired employee and a hiring professional in your area may be better equipped to find the best fits for the job(s) you offer. But in reading this article, perhaps it gives the employer or employee insight into the world of hiring, and maybe even a little insight into the responsibility on the employee’s side. The main focus was to provide ideas for the correct people to hire, the people who will provide the best abilities and demeanor for your business. The car analogy served the purpose that it may perhaps simplify the thinking and perhaps the complexity of forming a business for most people. Good luck building your car, and good luck adding modifications (new parts to enhance your car). The options are limitless, using the tools given, build a car that you are satisfied with, makes you money, and advances forward into the world of economics, and competition.
Citations:
Josh, J. (2014, July 5). List of Collar Workers. Retrieved from https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/list-of-collar-workers-1404546729-1Alexandersen, C. (2017, April). Does Pennsylvania have the most blue collar jobs in the U.S.? Retrieved from https://www.pennlive.com/news/2017/04/does_pennsylvania_have_the_mos.html Kotkin, J. (2018, May 29). The Cities Creating The Most White-Collar Jobs, 2018. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2018/05/29/the-cities-creating-the-most-white-collar-jobs-2018/#6429f1103920 [...]
August 26, 2019Alex's BlogBeing a mother can be one of the most rewarding experiences you will face in your lifetime. There are so many wonderful experiences when it comes to being a mother, although, there can be many challenges involved with motherhood as well.
Out of the many hardships we face with motherhood, the emotional effect it has on us is the hardest part of it all. Out of all the great things a mother will do for her child, the fear of failing as a mother always lingers in the back of her mind. Society has set the standards on what being a good mother means. We think that the only way to be a good mother is by giving our children more than what they need. The reality is, a mother who works each and every day to ensure her children are happy and healthy is a good mother. Living in a huge house with lots of money does not make a mother a good parent. Working on creating a beautiful life for her children, as well as giving her children an endless amount of love and support, is what creates a good mother. No mother is perfect, but that doesn’t mean a mother is failing just because she isn’t perfect. [...]
August 22, 2019Objective Personal Finance / Original Objective ArticlesBy: Doktor Prax Evad | Contributing AOJ Journalist
It seems difficult to find something that lays out the formula for calculating an accurate estimate of what your social security retirement benefit is now or should be in the future. Thankfully I, the Doktor, have done the research and put together an Excel spreadsheet that calculates an estimate of your social security retirement benefit at highly customizable “retirement ages” and pre-retirement “future annual income amounts.” We call this the Association of Objective Journalists (AOJ) Social Security Retirement Benefit Calculator © or “AOJ SS Benefit Calculator” for short.
This AOJ SS Benefit Calculator (a sophisticated spreadsheet calculator) even allows you to choose a “stop working year” which can be before you start collecting (claim) social security retirement benefits. The reason for this earlier retirement age before claiming social security might be so that your benefit payout continues to grow. The payout can grow from additional/higher-income working years or by delaying past age 62. The payout roughly grows by 8% each year that you delay claiming beyond 62. You can delay claiming social security between the ages of 62 and ~70 with this growth increase of approximately 8%.
Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) and “Retirement Age” Impacts
The full retirement age (also officially referred to as Normal Retirement Age by the Social Security Administration) for most people who have not started collecting yet is 67, but the payout is less if you claim before 67 and the payout is more if you claim after 67. The amount that you would collect at full retirement age (67 for most) is referred to as the Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). PIA is often included in discussions of social security to provide “apples-to-apples” comparisons of how much social security value is built up by individuals. The other important aspect of full retirement age is that prior to full retirement age, one is penalized for earned income above very low thresholds while collecting social security; however, this article is about calculating social security retirement benefit and avoids covering areas outside benefit (Insurance Amount) paid.
Social Security Administration retirement benefit calculations are based on a granularity down to how old you are in years and whole months. Note that the AOJ SS Benefit Calculator is setup in years and fractions of years. For instance, 63 years and 3 months old is 63 ³⁄12 years old and is entered as 63.25 years in the calculator.
Historical Earned Income Variable in Calculating PIA
Social security uses 35 years of earned income history in determining your PIA. Earned Income is basically the amount of money you make based on your job through salary, bonuses, hourly wages, tips, etc. and on the Earned Income upon which Social Security Tax is collected during your working years. Also, Earned Income is NOT related to investment gains or income (i.e dividends). Note that on your pay stubs, Social Security Tax is often labeled as FICA, which stands for Federal Insurance Contribution Act. The average Earned Income is capped for each individual year because Social Security Tax is only collected on Earned Income up to the capped amount each year. The Social Security Administration uses the 35-year average of capped Earned Income in calculating your PIA and uses zeros for years that you do not work or have earned income. For example, if you work for 10 years making $50,000 per year, Social Security Administration would NOT determine your average Earned Income to be $50,000, but rather would determine it to be the 35-year average of 10 years at $50,000 and 25 years at $0, which is $14, 285. Number of years working is a huge factor in determining PIA, and note that you basically need a minimum of 10 years of work history to be eligible for social security retirement benefit, with notable exceptions, such as spousal social security benefit. The AOJ SS Benefit Calculator only deals with the primary beneficiary and not exceptions, such as spousal beneficiary rules.
Also, if you have more than 35 years of Earned Income, Social Security Administration will use the 35 highest years of inflation adjusted income in determining your average rather than simply the most recent 35 years of earned income, which the AOJ SS Benefit Calculator does for you. The AOJ SS Benefit Calculator allows you to analyze what continuing to work longer (more than 35 years) at higher earned income levels will do to your social security benefit, such as by substituting out lower paid years (which are typically at younger ages) with higher paid years.
Using the AOJ Social Security Retirement Benefit Calculator ©, you can fill in any values you want for future working years to test out various scenarios in calculating social security retirement benefit amount. For instance, let’s suppose that you work in a job that pays very well currently, but you are contemplating quitting so that you can pursue an encore career that is fulfilling but pays far less than your current career. You could enter your current salary as the salary for future years and compare that to a scenario where future year working income is reduced to the encore career level.
The income cap for collecting Social Security Tax each year is adjusted for inflation. The AOJ SS Benefit Calculator takes this into account for historical years of earned income. Since the calculator produces benefit calculations in today’s dollars, projected years of future income should be entered by you using real values (NOT inflation adjusted values).
Where can you find annual Earned Income? You can go to your tax returns, but for most of us, our social security Earned Income is shown on our W-2 forms (which are completed and mailed to us by our employers). You would need W-2’s from all your prior tax years. Alternatively, you can get your work history (Social Security Earnings Information) from the Social Security Administration. The Social Security Administration mails everyone a copy of their Social Security Statement that includes annual social security earnings, or you can get a statement by creating an account at mySocialSecurity. I got my info from the mySocialSecurity website since it is all neatly compiled there.
Penalizing the People Who Work Hard and Achieve
The government forces every worker to contribute toward their future retirement through Social Security Tax collection (FICA), which is later meant to be returned (after investment gains in short-term and long-term government bonds) to the worker in retirement as a Social Security Retirement Benefit payment. “What really separated Social Security from the other programs of the time—aside from being a Federal initiative instead of a State one—was that it was not a welfare initiative or a radical departure from the capitalist model to a socialist one. People earned Social Security through their work history by paying a portion of their income as a Social Security tax.” Hence, one would think that everyone’s social security retirement benefit should be the same percentage as any other person with the same work duration and retirement age. However, the government penalizes anyone who makes good decisions and is industrious by returning to them a much lower percentage of what they contributed than someone who achieved less earned income. Welcome to the Social Security Administration in specific, and to the increasingly leftist government in general…Comrade.
The Social Security Tax (FICA) is paid on Social Security Earned Income at 12.4%, with typically 6.2% taxation shown in the employee paycheck itself and the other 6.2% tax paid directly from the employer before issuing/settling pay. This number is a constant percentage and makes some sense regarding forced retirement savings/investment. However, the money returned from your contribution investments is generally a lower percentage the more money you earned. This is mathematically proven out in computations of the AOJ SS Benefit Calculator. To accurately estimate your social security benefit, the AOJ SS Benefit Calculator computes a payout of your average contribution based on the social security inflection points listed below:
% of Avg Contribution Paid Back Average 35 Year Contribution Monthly Amount
Avg Contribution -Bracket
Bracket Max Pymt (FRA) Cumulative Max Pymt (FRA)
90%
$0 – $926
$833
$833
32%
$926.01 – $5,583
$1,490
$2,323
15%
$5,583.01 – $11,075
$824
$3,147
% of Avg Contribution Paid Back Average 35 Year Contribution Annual Amount
Avg Contribution
-Bracket
Bracket Max Pymt (FRA) Cumulative Max Pymt (FRA)
90%
$0 – $11,112
$9,996
$9,996
32%
$11,113 – $66,996
$17,880
$27,876
15%
$66,997 – $132,900
$9,888
$37,764
Scenarios to Examine Yourself
The AOJ Social Security Retirement Benefit Calculator © allows you to examine many scenarios to fit your individualized needs and analyze your individual concerns. Best of all, it is free to use for personal purposes. You can see how your benefits would change based on many situations, including but not limited to the following:
Retirement ageWorking additional years at varying income levelsPostponing claim of social security retirement benefit to gain increased payout percentageTaking early retirement and foregoing future years of earned income
Have fun!
“Why Was Social Security Created in the First Place,” by David Budlin; November
23, 2016; www.disabilityexpertsfl.com [...]
August 22, 2019Original Objective Articles / Science & TechnologyBy: Virgil Jacobs | Contributing AOJ Journalist
Antibiotics “Although initially it was the
source of miraculous cures for a variety of infections that were previously
difficult or impossible to treat, it was not long before the problem of
resistance to antibiotics that had been developed occurred.” The rate of bacteria
that is resistant to antibiotics has “Really increased to crisis level
proportions” According to the collective minds of FDA Biologists, and
Pherecydes Pharma. The real concern of modern medicine is bacteria becoming
immune to the antibiotics we have, It’s a premonition to the fear that once
held humanity in the dark ages. When bacteria ruled as our greatest enemy.
Pharma’s goal is to take bacteria’s worst enemy against it, the phages. Pharma
is an organization determined to “explore the use of phage therapy to treat
complicated urinary tract infections,” Which has had successful cases.
What are bacteriophages? (with the help of “https://youtu.be/YI3tsmFsrOg“)
Bacteriophages are microscopic organisms with the following anatomy: an isotopic-shaped head, a ring around the stem known as a collar, a tube structure that connects the head to the bottom called a sheath, which then connects to a flat disc called the baseplate, below that, there are tiny spikes that are used to latch onto the desired target, then six tail fibers. The Phage is a Virus; its purpose is to find bacteria and connect itself to it, then implant replication of itself in order to kill the bacteria, as well as further the species.
The Potential Application of Bacteriophages
Something to be noted is that the Soviet Union actually practiced using viruses to cure infections; the reason is because of the Berlin Wall, Western medicine, which had been more advanced, was not able to reach or be obtained by the Soviets. “In a post-antibiotic world, infection cures you!” The practice has been used, however, at a very minimum version since “water from certain rivers could cure infectious diseases like leprosy and cholera.” Scientists then, after all this time, in the 1900’s to now were curious and took another look; they found certain microscopic organisms, ones like the phage that would actually find the infection in a person and destroy it. The organisms would target certain bacteria that it liked the most, or which it’s designed to destroy. Typically, this is what would happen; however, it is possible that these microorganisms could also become our greatest enemy, and it’s something we must be prepared for if we take phages and other types of organisms just as we view antibiotics.
The genetics need to be analyzed, if phages or other
organisms are planned to be used as a replacement for antibiotics, their
evolution patterns and factors will need to be certain in understanding, if
not, there is going to be an uncertain outcome to what might happen if they’re
used. Say someone has a urinary tract infection, just as the pharmacy
agency focuses on, what will happen if the phages evolve to perhaps target
our cells instead of ignore them? The consequences would be unknown, and not
good for our species. Using the single example of phages: Their process has
been defined as finding the disease or bacteria that they are designed to
target. After that, the phages will hold onto their victim with their tail
fibers. The phage then moves down towards the bacteria and connects the spikes
that are below the stem of the phage. Next, the phage will inject other phages
into the bacteria until it becomes so compressed it explodes, releasing more
phages in the process. This could be incredibly dangerous if the genetic code
of the microorganism will learn to target people. Perhaps killing our cells and
immune system, depending on what they evolved to do. Another factor is that it
also is reliant on the history of the genome of phages; a certain genome may be
historically only able to attack one species, and it will most likely evolve to
combat that species of bacteria more effectively. The danger should be reduced
if this train of thought is proved as accurate. All that we have for now are
assumptions based on evolution theory and vague practices.
The problem with antibiotics, isn’t necessarily the drugs, rather the bugs! “Every year, about 2 million people get sick from superbugs.” Superbugs are categorized as bacteria that are resistant to most commonly used antibiotics. The name is more or less known by the public as “cannot be killed using multiple antibiotics” right now. If you visit the doctor, you usually expect antibiotics to solve the sickness you have. An example of a strain of superbug is MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus). Many of the drugs made to combat MRSA, the superbug has become immune to, such as “Methicillin, Amoxicillin, Penicillin, Oxacillin, and other common antibiotics known as cephalosporins.” MRSA does this by activating a certain gene, in this case, the mecA gene. This gene focuses on making certain codes that will protect the bacteria directly from the antibiotic; it was able to evolve due to the amount of antibiotics being used, and able to combat antibiotics after being able to learn their structure. This may be in part due to the amount of antibiotics used, in 2015, “269 million antibiotic prescriptions were distributed to patients through outpatient pharmacies in the US.”
Evolution of the Multi-resistant drug.
Vertical Transmission is when the parent of a child has a disease and then passes it on to the child because of the genetic transmission between them. It gives the Superbug a chance to evolve because of its host. The environment that the strain is engulfed in will determine the options that the superbug has to make itself mutate, instead of just randomly waiting to mutate itself. If the father and/or mother hold a resistant gene type, then there is an opening where the Superbug can obtain that resistant gene while generations move further, and thus, there’s more chances for the superbug to obtain resistance.
Horizontal Transfer is the transmission
of diseases from one person to another, or perhaps one to a group. It’s done
through certain contacts such as bodily liquids including blood. These two
things open up a door for the Superbug(s). Plasmids, which are certain types of
liquids, are observed to contain more than one gene type that codes and forms
resistance. By coming into contact with this, The Superbug(s) might gain even
more resistance to the antibiotics by absorbing the strains that have defensive
capabilities and code. This is and will be a major problem, superbugs will
continue to grow and multiply, and will slowly become more dangerous as time
goes on. Simply, from the amount of antibiotics, the need for natural selection
will become pressured to create even more resistance in mutation, transmissions
and transfers in genetics.
According to “https://health.ucsd.edu/news/releases/pages/2017-04-25-novel-phage-therapy-saves-patient-with-multidrug-resistant-bacterial-infection.aspx”, Patterson was a 69 year old Professor, He was traveling for thanksgiving in Egypt, and according to reports, he was “wracked by abdominal pain, fever, nausea, vomiting, and a racing heartbeat.” The report on his illness said he had pancreatitis. But “Standard treatment didn’t help” His physical body was feeling fatigued and his mental state kept worsening based on the pain. When he was transferred to Frankfurt Germany Dec. 3, 2015. He was then diagnosed with Acinetobacter baumannii, but It had evolved and morphed into a Multi-Resistant superbug, which was immune to the antibiotics made to cure it. During a long, pain-filled experience he was asked by his wife Strathdee if he wanted to try phage therapy. “In Patterson’s case, the phages were introduced through catheters into his abdominal cavity and intravenously to address a broader, systemic infection, which had not been done in the antibiotic era in the U.S.” After three days of undergoing the phage therapy, he awoke from the coma that the bacteria put him in. Apparently, after being cured by IV Phage Therapy, “Tom woke up, turned to his daughter and said, ‘I love you’, recalled Schooley.”
Conclusion
The future of antibiotics may be fading with the way things
are heading in the world of superbugs today. Superbugs are becoming more
advanced every day, and the antibiotics stay the same. Even if doctors were to
find breakthrough after breakthrough in the field of antibiotics, the bacteria would
by natural selection become more dangerous, as well as in an idle state become
more powerful through genetic transfers and transmissions. Phages and other
microorganisms might be the key to solving this issue, an issue that is growing
rapidly and becoming more of an epidemic with each passing day. The call to do
something is becoming too great to ignore phages and other types of treatment
besides antibiotics. The threat is looming and research is growing to supply
that demand. The next step is close, but Humanity doesn’t know where we’ll
place it.
Citations
Shiel Jr., W. C. (2018, December 27). Definition of Vertical
transmission. Retrieved from https://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=7982
LaFee, S., & Buschman, H. (2017, April 25). Novel Phage
Therapy Saves Patient with Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Infection. Retrieved
from https://health.ucsd.edu/news/releases/pages/2017-04-25-novel-phage-therapy-saves-patient-with-multidrug-resistant-bacterial-infection.aspx
Mercedes Transcription Inc. (2018, May 21). How Many Antibiotics
Are Prescribed Each Year in the US. Retrieved from https://www.mercedestranscription.com/how-many-antibiotics-are-prescribed-each-year-in-the-us/
Understanding Evolution. (2008, April). Superbug, super-fast
evolution. Retrieved from https://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/news/080401_mrsa
Glass, R. G. (n.d.). Why is MRSA an antibiotic resistant
infection? Retrieved from https://www.sharecare.com/health/mrsa-staph-skin-infection/mrsa-an-antibiotic-resistant-infection
Stapleton, P. D., & Taylor, P. W. (2007, November 7).
Methicillin resistance in Staphylococcus aureus: mechanisms and modulation.
Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2065735/
WebMD. (n.d.). Understanding MRSA Infection. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/understanding-mrsa#1
Miller, K. (2015, April 17). Superbugs: What They Are and
How You Get Them. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20150417/superbugs-what-they-are#1
Sifferlin, A. (2017, December 18). This Last-Resort Medical Treatment Offers
Hope in the Fight Against Superbugs. Retrieved from https://time.com/5068513/superbugs-are-nearly-impossible-to-fight/ [...]
August 15, 2019Original Objective Articles / Science & TechnologyBy: Virgil Jacobs | Contributing AOJ Journalist
Anesthesia is made to create a lack of connection between the brain and body’s pain receptors and signals. Typically, the human brain would be able to remember events or flashes, certain things would stick with you by memory of association. But in the state of “Anesthesia” it is completely interrupted so that one can’t recall their procedure at all; people can’t feel pain during said operations as well. Yet, some people have reactions to anesthesia. Reactions can vary from complete loss of control that spin a person into a daze of swinging their fists, OR to the simple effect of being a little dizzy. It makes people wonder what is in anesthesia, as well as raise some morality issues people may have. This is a question that sticks with people when someone close to them, or themselves, have been through the rough side of anesthesia. How much does the public really know?
Typically, the two main sources that anesthesia is administered would be Intravaineus (through the veins) or by inhalation. Intravaineus is a technique in which the IV of an individual is filled with a specified dose and/or type. Which further confuses the general public. There are different types of anesthesia? It ranges from the most common type “General Anesthesia” to “Regional Anesthetics”. The common type is defined by the conglomerate that Doctors or Physicians will use most frequently throughout their practice. However, the first distinction one needs to make and understand completely is that all types of anesthesia ARE NOT one medication; anesthesia is a combined bunch of different medications. However, the goal of these collective drugs is to achieve the anesthesia state, which is again, a complete lack of consciousness and feeling depending on the type. Immobility would be another goal to add to that list, since having a moving piece of body, or some strange moving reaction would cause immense problems and difficulty during the assigned procedure. Other variations of Anesthesia have specific uses, however, consisting of leg, spinal, neck, and ear Anesthesia. Ranging from these examples to a great variety of the human body, these are all called Regional Anesthetics.
How?
Doctors are still puzzled on how anesthesia achieves this state, and or how it works. But licensed anesthesiologists must monitor the patient, and this is how the risk from anesthesia will be limited. First off, what is an EKG? EKG(The Electrocardiogram) is a device that measures the rhythm and general health of the heart. It is one of the most important machines for the duties of the anesthesiologist. It makes sure the heart is correctly beating, and correctly pumping.
It was proven that several common types of anesthetics have a common system of connecting themselves to the GABAa Receptor in the brain’s neurons. They hold the gateway between the nervous system and brain open, which allows negatively charged particles to get through the once closed gateway, which is made directly to open and close based on the negative charge. Once through, the negative charges fill up the gateway, and build up. This keeps the brain from getting electrical signals from neurons. There is an abundance of these sort of bridges in the nervous system; They typically control the movement, consciousness, and memory of an individual. Generally, anesthetics apply themselves to more than just one of these bridges, and or sections of the nervous system. Yet, Anesthesia can still as well affect the major organs.
An anesthesiologist has a complex job. There are dangers to modern medicine, serious and life threatening consequences. Medications must be carefully mixed and/or balanced to achieve that state of anesthesia, and the patient must be monitored with said vital readings and machinery. Not only must an anesthesiologist just apply the drugs and hope that the drugs will react well with the patient, but must also literally change the mixtures as needed on the spot. During the operation, there is immense confusion within this thought. Every patient has different reactions and different levels of everything, which makes the job that much harder.
The administration of anesthesia is chosen by a few parameters, such as, if the operations duration is greater than 2 or 3 hours, if your surgery contains the risk of breathing problems during the procedure, if the problem that the patient needs the surgeon to cover is a large portion of their body, if the operation details are demanding to touch and/or operate on important organs, and if the procedure would cause you to lose a great amount of blood. It is then up to the anesthesiologists to determine what medications to combine, and how much of that said combination will be needed to get the patient into a “medically induced coma”. The coma, however, reacts with the patient to make him/her stable, the outcome of the coma is unknown. Doctors have said to people that changes from the effects of anesthesia could be permanent, which has scared many people. The Outcome of anesthesia isn’t really known. The properties and reactions that create this outcome is generally just a mystery. As said before, One could hallucinate while coming out of the state, or be completely fine. Physicians and anesthesiologists are still unsure on what determines these things, which makes anesthesia very strange.
According to “https://www.asahq.org/whensecondscount/anesthesia-101/effects-of-anesthesia/“
Side effects of Anesthesia can happen during or after the procedure. After the use of general anesthesia, side effects known to be caused are the following:
Nausea and Vomiting: the first few days, out of general anesthesia. It is due to some medications mixing with the crumbs of anesthesia, and movement after the surgery.Sore throat: the tube that was mentioned earlier, that the anesthesiologist must insert into your throat, can cause redness and pain after the surgery is over.Post-operative delirium: controlling your consciousness and regaining it is quite difficult in an environment your not familiar with, like when waking from general anesthesia, but this is mostly applied to the older generation; since older people are more susceptible to these kind of mental effects due to age. But typically, if the patient after surgery would do something normally as they would do in daily life, it has been noticed by scientists to improve coming back to the senses, an example would be wearing your glasses, hearing aids, etc.Muscle aches: the cause of this would be perhaps the medicine that the anesthesiologist diagnosed to relax your muscles, as well as, the previously mentioned breathing tube that is used to help the patient breath under anesthesia could make your throat sore too. Itching is a fairly common thing to have after using narcotics, which is classified as “sometimes” used in general anesthesia to remove pain from the individual. Chills and shivering, because after the cold surgery room, and general exposure to the body, patients can wake up with hypothermia. To prevent this, most people are given a heated blanket after surgery..
There are 4 actual stages to anesthesia from “https://www.medicaldaily.com/dazed-sedated-and-confused-why-does-anesthesia-make-us-act-way-we-do-269881” These stages define the process of anesthesia as well as what happens during it.
Stage 1: Induction is defined as the period when patients are barely feeling effects, however not unconscious.Stage 2: Excitement, unconscious with slight twitching, and the breathing of the patient is normal.Stage 3: “Anesthesieized” when the patient has become completely taken over by the state of anesthesia.Stage 4: Emergency which is not in the safe process. It occurs in an error of drug balancing, usually when the patient comes out with brain damage or perhaps even death; a drug overdose.
Anesthesia is an interesting bundle of medical information, for the betterment of surgery purposes. To keep the patient from feeling pain, waking up, and any other problem that could arise from surgery. The actual procedure to keep anesthesia working and starting said technique, is what doctors understand. But how the state is achieved and why this state happens is still a mystery to this day. Anesthesia has side effects though, some that could be permanent, and it’s something that doctors, and patients, should be aware of, and ready to face the consequences. However, the cases of this happening are few. Doctors don’t understand why people have certain reactions. All people should know this before being given surgery, and giving surgery. To become aware of this is a vital step in knowledge for the public, and good preparation for future reference, or for looking over the past.
WebMD. (n.d.). What Is General Anesthesia? Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-general-anesthesia#1
TahoeDoc. (2017, April 19). How Does Anesthesia Affect the Body? Retrieved from https://healthproadvice.com/procedures/How-Does-Anesthesia-Affect-the-Body
Bushak, L. (2014, February 21). Dazed, Sedated, And Confused: Why Does Anesthesia Make Us Act The Way We Do? Retrieved from https://www.medicaldaily.com/dazed-sedated-and-confused-why-does-anesthesia-make-us-act-way-we-do-269881
American Society of Anesthesiologists. (n.d.). Effects of Anesthesia on Brain & Body. Retrieved from https://www.asahq.org/whensecondscount/anesthesia-101/effects-of-anesthesia/ [...]
August 12, 2019Original Objective Articles / Religion, Morals, and Everyday LifeThe world
and the circumstances people face are always changing, and with that, the
people are changing. Therefore, it’s no real surprise the newer generations
can’t do some of the same things older generations can do. However, I named
this article “5 Surprising Things today’s youth can’t do” because many of the
things listed would come across as shocking to older generations, as they would’ve
been considered basic and essential skills in their life.
Millennials and Generation Z live
in quite a different world environment as youth than did Generation X, who
lived in quite a different environment than the baby boomers in their youth. Such
differences in environment required and encouraged different sets of skills for
each group. The advancement of technology has also impacted such skills because
as technology has advanced, people have not been required to learn certain
skills. For instance, the invention of the calculator no longer makes it
essential for people to learn and remember long division. Let’s take a look at the
world environment each generation grew up in and how such environment has
shaped each generation’s characteristics and skill set.
The boomers were born between 1946 and 1964 and had
experienced a great amount of prosperity, but also went through the Vietnam War
drafts, the Cold War, and the erection of the Berlin War. Through such
experiences the Boomers realized a need for social change and advocacy, and
witnessed and fought for Civil Rights. Financially, Boomers prefer going in a
branch to make transactions, but do not reject digital or mobile banking
methods.
Generation X, born between 1965 – 1979, included the first
children exposed to television, and as youth were mostly left to fend for
themselves while both parents were at work. As youth, generation X witnessed the
hard work, layoffs, and lack of happiness their parents went through. Such
experiences led many in this generation to focus on family and free time more
than a career. Professional dress was also less important to this generation
because they had different priorities in career than did the Boomers.
Financially, this generation prefers to make transactions in person, but is
digitally savvy and will do some research and financial management online.
Millennials, born between 1980 and 1994, grew up surrounded
with computers, social media, and other technological advancements their parents
had not seen as youth. Such technological advancements granted more awareness
to this generation by bringing worldwide events into consciousness and allowing
quicker access to information via the internet. This greater awareness combined
with the witnessing of school shootings and terrorism, and many millennials
coming from divorced families contributes to the levels of fear and anxiety
present in millennials. Such fear and sensitivity have led millennials to be extremely
accepting of those different from the norm. Financially, millennials are
accustomed to a digital world and seek digital tools to manage their debt.
Millennials also view their banks as strictly transactional, unlike past
generations who view their banks relationally.
Generation Z, born between 1995 and 2015, is of course the
most technologically immersed generation. Individuals from this generation are
able to easily use technology to find information, and their technological
skills are further encouraged and developed through support of the school
system. Along with being technologically savvy, generation Z also easily
multitasks, gathers information quickly, and likes to learn through experience.
In terms of finance, after watching the millennials struggle generation Z has
adopted a fiscally conservative approach to avoid debt Generation Z has also
taken to completing all or most of their banking needs mobile or online in some
way. However, while generation Z possesses such valuable skills and adopts some
positive financial ideologies, the generation is also greatly desensitized to
violence through witnessing or hearing about accounts of violence almost daily.
As one can tell, each generation grew up in different
environments with different challenges that shaped each generations characteristics
and skill set. Each generation has such differing experiences and ideologies
that define them, that it’s actually not at all surprising that newer
generations lack skills generations of the past have. What seems essential for
one generation is in reality no longer essential for newer generations, and
therefore, newer generations lack some skills the older generations possess. It
works the same the other way around too, what seems essential to new
generations is deemed unnecessary by older generations because older
generations are accustomed to the way they’ve been living and aren’t pursuing
the same things newer generations are. While both of these things are
interesting to consider, this article is only going to cover the skills newer
generations lack and why.
Talking
on the Phone
As the world becomes more and more
digitalized and new communication technologies are released, newer generations
are drawn to these newer, quicker, and often times more efficient forms of
communication. Whereas, older generations remain accustomed to communicating in
the same ways they would when they were younger. This causes frustration when
older generations try communicating with younger generations by talking on the
phone.
There are a number of reasons why
younger generations don’t like communicating by phone, but one of the biggest
reasons is because of how time-consuming phone calls. Instead of spending a
bunch of time going through the niceties of verbal conversation with all the
greetings and small talk, younger generations prefer to send a text to get
information directly. Another reason younger generations favor texting and
other forms of communication over calling is consideration of one’s time. If
someone calls, the receiver is expected to answer according to the caller’s
availability, not according to when is best for them. Even voicemail’s are a
hassle because of calling back.
Due to the younger generations
lack of preference for calling, they are not skilled at talking on the phone,
and often avoid answering completely, giving millennials the nickname
generation mute. This causes frustration for older generations who primarily
communicate by calling. Even if the younger generation does take a phone call, it’ll
likely be awkward, as the individual is not accustomed to such communication
and doesn’t have as much time to think about things before they say them.
Meek, A.
(2018, December 9). A bunch of millennials explained in a survey why they
despise phone calls. Retrieved from https://bgr.com/2018/12/09/millennials-phone-calls-survey/
Reading
Analog Clocks
Being an individual from a younger
generation myself, I have witnessed many others in my generation asking the
time because they can’t read an analog clock. It seems the old skill of reading
analog clocks has become unnecessary to younger generations because clocks are
becoming digitalized. Younger generations would much rather pull out their
phones to read the digital time than spend time deciphering an analog clock.
The results from a Jimmy Kimmel
live! video demonstrate the youths lack of ability to read an analog clock
in the modern day. Several of the young people interviewed in the show
attempted to read the clock but got the time wrong, either by confusing the
hands or not understanding the roman numerals. Such results show that with the
advancement of technology, young generations are no longer needing to learn the
same basic skills older generations were required to know.
Nelson, D.
(2019, May 29). Kimmel Asked ‘Young People’ to Read a Clock & It Was Not
Impressive. Retrieved from https://www.thrillist.com/news/nation/jimmy-kimmel-millennial-read-clocks
Jimmy Kimmel
Live. (2019, May 29). Can Young People Read a Clock? Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=53&v=ZvLKbhXqEKw
Maintaining
Their Own Vehicles
In the past, maintaining and
taking care of one’s car on their own was something to be proud of, but it
seems such has changed as younger generations care less to know how vehicles
work than to use them. Younger generations are so used sophisticated technology,
they’re accustomed to expecting stuff to work rather than to know how something
works. Therefore, the youth have no desire to study the inner workings of
vehicles so they can fix them, especially when they can just take their cars to
a shop.
Another factor that contributes to
the youth’s lack of knowledge and care to maintain their own vehicles is
technological advancement in vehicles. More and more mechanical parts in
vehicles are being enhanced with more complex electrical components. This makes
taking care of a vehicle far more difficult than it was in the days of the
older generation’s youth, where one didn’t need a professional degree to
rebuild parts of a vehicle. However, many individuals from today’s youth are so
negligent they can’t even do simple tasks like popping the hood.
Faw, L.
(2012, November 20). Does It Matter If Millennials Don’t Know How Cars Work?
Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/larissafaw/2012/11/20/does-it-matter-if-millennials-dont-know-how-cars-work/#4b3f08e14d58
Writing
in Cursive
In today’s world cursive is only
really necessary for signatures and schools have even discontinued teaching
cursive because it has no necessary application anywhere else. On top of that, children
struggle to learn and read cursive, and most forget all the cursive they were
taught when they were younger because they don’t need to use it. Some could
claim not learning cursive in school is a problem because of signatures, but
all you’ve got to do in this day and age is look up the cursive alphabet and
spell out your name with it. Therefore, it’s not like the youth are doomed
because they can’t write in cursive fluently.
Daugherty, A.
(2018, May 11). Cursive is dying, kids can’t sign their own names ? and that’s
a huge problem. Retrieved from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/cursive-is-dying-kids-cant-sign-their-own-names-and-thats-a-huge-problem/article12811846/
Burning
CD’s
Technology used to store
information is constantly evolving. First we had floppy disks, the VCR’s, then CD’s,
and now we have flash drives, online storage and downloads. With all these
innovations in storage, learning to use older technology isn’t necessary.
Therefore, younger generations no longer have the need to know how to burn
CD’s. This comes as a shock to older generations for some reason.
Older generations look back on
their young days of music with lots of nostalgia, and for many, those days
included burning songs onto CD’s and playing music through CD players. So to
these older generations, the idea of not being able to burn a CD is upsetting
because it highlights the days of their youth. A seventeen-year-old girl had
posted on twitter asking how to burn a CD and many individuals from older
generations had responded in disgust and shock because of how much the CD had
defined their youth. But the simple reality is that technology is evolving,
making older technology like CD’s outdated in today’s world.
Snapes, L.
(2018, October 24). The CD-R is dead ? and Generation Z are lucky to have
avoided it. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/oct/24/cd-r-generation-z [...]
August 8, 2019Business / Original Objective ArticlesBy: Gittan Alicia | Contributing AOJ Journalist
While the idea of companies starting from nothing and growing into something big sounds unusual and rather impressive, most companies start from nothing. Therefore, it’s no surprise that most of today’s famous companies arose from nothing, but rather that they’ve come so far. However, instead of focusing on how far these companies have come, the media acts surprised that they began with so little, painting a false picture of the world of business. The truth is, that like the biggest companies of today, most companies start from nothing, and many small companies are going down the same roads of starting off right now that these bigger companies have already been through.
Unless someone won the lottery, was gifted a massive amount of money, or already had the money to spend on a business, they will have to start their business from little to nothing. This means the individual will need to figure out how they are going to pull together money to meet bills for and expand their business. Business owners could bring together such money either by bootstrapping or pulling together money from outside sources. More commonly a business owner would choose to bootstrap even though it is oftentimes more difficult because it provides many advantages.
What Exactly
is Bootstrapping?
Bootstrapping in the world of business is relying on as little money as possible to build a company. This means figuring out how to cover the costs of maintaining and building your company with what one has in hopes of eventually building up to success. This is the common route that businesses must take simply because all startups don’t yet have a reputation or customer/audience base to generate much revenue and therefore have very little to thrive upon. It’s no surprise that given the difficult task of bootstrapping, many startups end up failing.
Why do Most
Companies Bootstrap?
While bootstrapping isn’t the only way to start a company and is in no way easy, it certainly has many benefits when compared to other methods. Some of the most notable of these benefits are fewer restrictions on how one runs their business, required focus on the things that will actually get one’s business somewhere, and one gains a greater understanding of their business. However, there are several disadvantages to bootstrapping that require lots of work on one’s own part to overcome and bootstrapping certainly isn’t easy. Regardless of these advantages or disadvantages most individuals only option is to start a business by bootstrapping due to a lack of capital and/or inability to gain capital through outside sources.
Bootstrapping provides the best guarantee that an individual
can run their business the way they want to, making it a very desirable
approach to starting a business. When one bootstraps their business, they’re
using their own money instead of money from outside sources. This means the
individual is not obligated to meet expectations of whoever funds them, and can
instead focus their resources on what they believe is best for their company.
However, it is still crucial that the individual meets the needs and desires of
their customers and employees to be successful. After all, customers bring in
revenue for a company and employees are an important factor in running a
company.
When one’s own money is at stake, they’re bound to be more
careful about how they spend it, whereas, if one is using someone else’s money
to run their business, there’s less incentive for them to be careful. This
gives bootstrapper’s a great advantage over other companies because they’re required
to focus on the things that will actually get them somewhere so they can make a
profit and get by. Whereas businesses who aren’t bootstrapping and using money
from investors are more likely to expend their resources by investing in things
that are more expensive and may not necessarily make them a profit.
Bootstrapping is a great way to gain a greater understanding
of running a business, which may be great incentive to some. The reason
bootstrapping helps an individual and a cofounding team if they have one is
because in the early days of bootstrapping, the company won’t have the capital
to hire people to carry out specific sections of the business, for instance,
one likely won’t have the funds to hire a head of marketing. Therefore, the
founder and co-founding team of a business will be required to carry out such
functions on their own, granting them a greater understanding of their
business.
Most companies are forced to be started through bootstrapping
due to a lack of capital or an inability to outsource, and while bootstrapping
provides them with several advantages, some of which I’ve already described,
there are several disadvantages to bootstrapping as well. One of the most
obvious of these disadvantages is the lack of capital when starting out. This
lack of capital requires more work on one’s own part and a plan to make profit
as soon as possible. Another major disadvantage of bootstrapping is a lack of
networking connections and credibility. Having outside sources provide a great
opportunity for connections within one’s niche. Without outside sources one is
on their own to build connections and figure things out, and the lack of
outside sources often makes a website less credible, meaning the company will
need to spend more time building the trust of customers.
Entreprenoria.
(n.d.). The Advantages and Disadvantages of Bootstrapping Your Company. Retrieved
from https://entreprenoria.com/finance/bootstrapping/the-advantages-and-disadvantages-of-bootstrapping-your-company/
Gazdecki, A.
(2016, May 27). 5 Benefits Of Bootstrapping Your Small Business. Retrieved from
https://smallbiztrends.com/2016/05/benefits-of-bootstrapping.html
Towers, P.
(2017, May 25). 5 Benefits of Bootstrapping Your Startup – Task Pigeon.
Retrieved from https://blog.taskpigeon.co/5-benefits-bootstrapping-startup/
Chan, J.
(2019, February 26). Bootstrapping Business Entrepreneurs – Start a Business
Without Funding. Retrieved from https://foundr.com/bootstrapping-entrepreneur/
Big
Businesses of Today That Started off Bootstrapping
Like the many small companies starting off today, the biggest and most famous companies started off bootstrapping. In many cases, the situation of the founders at the time had required them to bootstrap their startups, which have grown into the well-known companies they are today. Quite literally, today’s biggest companies had grown from nothing into something big, but it’s often forgotten that almost all companies start from nothing. So, we’re going to focus on the bootstrapping methods such companies went through in their beginning and how they compare to the small startup companies of today.
Apple, famously known to have started off in a garage, is one of many big companies in today’s world. Apple wasn’t the only garage startup of its time, but the fact that Apple made it big from such a low start is what gives the company all the attention. Started by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne in 1976 with very little money and almost no room for mistakes or failure. The beginning was very risky for Apple and being not well-known, Apple struggled to find companies who would purchase and sell the Apple machines, and also struggled to get the parts needed. Apple eventually found a buyer and affordable parts to create the first Apple machines, however, Apple only had 30 days to carry out the order from their buyer, a risk too big for Ronald Wayne. At this point, Ronald left Apple, and after his leaving, the two Steves managed to complete the order, marking the first ever success for Apple. Be that as it may, had Apple failed to complete the order or get the required parts, the company would’ve been over, as “Jobs and Woz didn’t have two nickels to rub together,” according to Robert Wayne.
Almost every company starting out and bootstrapping today faces the same problem the two Steves faced, having little to no capital or credibility. A lack of capital makes getting resources and materials required for one’s business difficult, as demonstrated by Apple, and makes others less willing to risk entrusting a company that is unable to pay back should something go wrong. Lack of credibility as a starting off company also increases the difficulty of gaining support from others. Having no track record and no capital as a company makes it a huge risk for others to invest in or support one’s company. Such was the case for Apple, but through perseverance and persistence, Apple was able to gain the support it needed and to sell its product. However, while Apple may have been able to do this, not all companies have been able to, and today not all companies will be able to either.
Rawlinson, N.
(2017, April 25). History of Apple: The story of Steve Jobs and the company he
founded. Retrieved from https://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/apple/history-of-apple-steve-jobs-mac-3606104/
How would
Companies Pull Together Money from Outside Sources?
Pulling together money from outside investors for one’s company is no easy task, but is certainly an option, and one of the ways one can start a company. Pulling together money from outside sources typically involves drawing in investors with one’s business plan or current business status. As a starting company, outsourcing is much more difficult because there’s no track record or current status of the business for an investor to go upon. Meaning, the investor would only be sold to one’s idea if they were convinced and believed there was great enough potential in the company for them to invest.
Starting companies can gather money and resources from outside sources to further their business through a business incubator, accelerator, crowdfund, or something of the like. All of these options provide support, services, and/or funds to assist a startup business. The role of a business incubator in supporting a startup business would be to help a startup succeed by providing virtual and on-site assistance to a company through a collaborative environment. The role of an accelerator in aiding a startup business would be similar to an incubator, but faster paced and more intensive. The goal of accelerators is to provide education, mentorship, and financing to accelerate the start of business by compressing what would be many years’ worth of learning on one’s own into a few months. Crowdfunding’s role in supporting a business would be strictly to provide capital through public investment in return for future buy-in to one’s company. There are many other options businesses use to aid their startup as well.
Hathaway, I.
(2016, March 1). What Startup Accelerators Really Do. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2016/03/what-startup-accelerators-really-do
Riggins, N.
(2019, January 1). What is a Business Incubator? Retrieved from https://smallbiztrends.com/2017/06/what-is-a-business-incubator.html
Westwood, R.
(2014, October 8). How To Start A Business With No Money. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanwestwood/2014/10/08/how-to-start-a-business-with-no-money/#29d7ce2e57ad
Why Would a
Company Pull Together Money from Outside Sources?
Support from outside sources can hugely beneficial to startup companies who have so little capital, knowledge, and resources to build off. Outside sources can provide advantages such as preserving a company’s internal financial resources, a collaborative environment, and increased room for growth. However, such advantages come at several costs companies must consider.
By gathering the support of an outside source, a company may gain preservation of their internal financial resources that could be used later on should a situation call for it. Not only that, but should a greater opportunity for investment arise, like a lower interest loan, a company could use financing from its external (outside) sources to pay for it. Companies could also improve their credit rating by investing the internal financial resources they’ve reserved into certain business activities.
Some outside sources provide companies with a collaborative environment to aid a company through any challenges it may face. Such an environment provides a company with additional resources and approaches to its challenge that may not have been accessible had the company been on its own. A collaborative environment may also provide networking opportunities and allow individuals to review and offer creative ideas for each other’s companies.
Outside sources also have the advantage of granting greater room for a company’s increase in growth. The services and knowledge provided by outside sources like incubators or accelerators may allow a company to grow quicker by acting as a guide. Other outside sources may provide a company with funds that allow a company to invest in opportunities for growth that the company otherwise may not have been able to afford.
While all these advantages I’ve listed are certainly beneficial for a company, they come at a cost. Seeking out the aid of an outside source as a startup company reduces some of the freedom an individual has to run their company. For instance, taking money from investors for one’s company may require the company to meet the expectations and demands of the investors for continued funding. Ownership of one’s company can also be lost if one gets the funding of their business from investors and shareholders, which requires one to give up a portion of their ownership in the company in exchange for funding. Some outside sources may also include the risk of one’s initial contribution to the source like an incubator or accelerator, and the possibility of no return on one’s contributions.
George N. (2019,
February 12). The Advantages & Disadvantages of External Financing.
Retrieved from https://smallbusiness.chron.com/advantages-disadvantages-external-financing-10033.html
Why Do Some
Businesses Succeed While Others Fail?
It would be great for businesses if they could just look up, “How to make my business succeed” and be given a straight answer, but making a business succeed is not quite so easy or straightforward. There are several factors that play into whether or not a business will succeed, some in control of the one running the business and others not. Making a business succeed and determining what will make a business succeed is especially difficult because the factors and circumstances change depending on the type of business. However, there are some general factors that can be applied to just about any company on its outlook for success.
One of the biggest and most important factors that contribute to a company’s success is the interest and necessity of what’s being offered by the company to the public. For instance, if someone starts a shoe company in the midst of several other shoe companies with no unique aspects to their shoes and company, the need for shoes is already met. There’s nothing of interest being offered to the public and therefore, the company would probably fail. The same goes for any other company, if a company has nothing of interest to their customers and isn’t providing something of necessity to the public, they’ll likely fail.
The drive and commitment of an individual running a company is another very important factor in the success of a company. There’s no way a company will succeed if the one’s running the company aren’t committed to making the company run and aren’t focused on how they’ll make the company run. Running a company certainly isn’t easy, but a company won’t succeed if the one’s running it give up on it because it’s too much for them.
Names and company branding are actually a significant factor in the success of a business as well. Lists of successful companies today who changed their names and/or logos can be found online because of how impactful this factor is on a company’s customers or audience. Some names are more memorable and meaningful than others to people, and people are less likely to care to remember and recognize a company with a long name that doesn’t make much sense. The same goes for logos; if a logo is too overwhelming and complicated, people are less likely to remember and recognize it than if it were simple.
Of course, there are several other factors that could be applied generally to the success of businesses and many more that could be applied to specific business niches, but there’s so many it’d be impossible to list them all. This is part of what makes running a business so difficult, evaluating the factors and figuring out how to overcome them, and even then, not all are avoidable. Even the biggest corporations of today could’ve failed somewhere on their way to success had they evaluated one of these factors wrong or been caught in an inescapable circumstance. [...]
August 6, 2019Original Opinionated Articles / Science & TechnologyBy: Gittan Alicia | Contributing AOJ Journalist
Nanobots are an exemplary example of sci-fi becoming a reality. We’ve all seen the movies where tiny robots, so small we can’t even see them, either help in some way or cause massive destruction. A prime example of this in a movie would be the movie Stargate Atlantis, where the main characters run into a world entirely made of nanobots, and in such world, the nanobots seek to kill the main characters. That is not exactly what today’s molecular engineers are aiming for in their development of nanotechnology, but it certainly is an inspiration and a driving factor for peoples fear of the development of the technology
Despite the often-nightmarish depiction of nanobots brought about in the sci-fi world, molecular engineers and bioengineers foresee several positive aspects in nanorobotics. In Eric Drexler’s book, Engines of Creation, Drexler outlines possible implications of nanobots in medicine, economy, and the environment. Others involved in the field of nanotechnology foresee nanobots in use for cancer treatment, drug delivery mechanisms, medical imaging, new sensing devices, and several other applications. Perhaps the most exciting and feared potential application of nanobots out of them all is the use of nanobots as replicators. In which case, nanobots would be used “to guide chemical reactions by positioning reactive molecules with atomic precision” according to an article from singularity hub by Peter H. Diamandis. This idea of replication through nanobots is a common them in sic-fi and has driven fear over the development of nanotechnology. Most famously, sci-fi has depicted the world’s end through a scenario known as the gray goo scenario.
The
grey goo, or gray goo, scenario was coined by Eric Drexler in his book Engines
of Creation. The scenario, as described by Drexler, entails
self-replicating nanobots that spin out of control, destroying the Earth’s
biosphere by consuming all the materials necessary for life to replicate
themselves. All that would be left after such destruction is conceptualized by
Drexler as gray goo, hence the name the gray goo scenario. While this scenario
at first glance seems quite impossible and purely sci-fi, Drexler brings the
possibility of such in reality to light by describing recent advances in
nanotechnology that could make replication by nanobots a reality.
A
subfield of nanotechnology known as molecular electronics could allow for the manipulation
of matter at the molecular and atomic level by changing individual molecules
into circuit elements. This along with advances in physical sciences and
genetics would have the potential to make replication through nanobots a
reality with endless possibilities for application in the real world. However,
with such possibility comes risk and fear, which is where the gray goo scenario
comes into play. It’s because of this that several individuals involved in
nanorobotics have proposed how situations like the gray goo would be avoided.
In hopes of controlling the potential future self-replicating nanobots, several suggestions for control have been put forward. Such ideas include limits on nanobot’s replicative capacity; operational energy and chemical requirements; use of rare elements not found or exceedingly insignificant in a human’s bloodstream; vigilant monitoring for destructive behavior of self-replication; and several others. All of these proposed controls may be effective against a potential gray goo scenario should nanobots ever be developed, but, as with all technology, there will surely be other unforeseen issues with the technology. However, the outcome of such issues likely won’t be near as detrimental as sci-fi has made others like the gray goo out to be. In fact, the positive aspects and potential use for nanobots may just outweigh the faults that arise, and several other fields of use for nanobots outside of replication are often overlooked due to over-focus on the common replicator theme of nanobots in sci-fi.
Remaining in the field of replication for the use of nanobots, nanobots could be exceedingly beneficial in manufacturing. With nanobots, the cost of most manufactured products, especially complex products like computer chips, could be reduced toward the bottom limit, close to the cost of the raw materials for the product. Not only that, but nanobots could replicate themselves and create other nanofactories as needed, producing even more nanofactory products at a much lower price, with greater precision, and greater efficiency than our current factories. Industrial waste would also be greatly reduced, if not eliminated, due to the atomic precision of nanobots. The nanobots would be able to organize all atoms either into a product or into properly packaged waste, and thus prevent pollution from being released into the environment. That’s just a few advantages of nanobots in manufacturing and replication.
There’s also great potential for the use of nanobots in medicine. With atomic precision, medical nanorobots could be released into the human body to cure specific diseases through surgery, repair injuries, protect the body against injuries, reverse the effects of aging, and several other possibilities. However, nanobots could also have negative effects on people should they be used as biomedical weapons. Just as nanorobots could have the potential to heal, there would be nothing preventing them from having the potential to harm or kill should they fall into the hands of the wrong people or the military.
A very unique and potentially very beneficial impact of nanorobotics could be the use of nanobots for energy. Nanotechnology has the potential to save energy through weight reduction of vehicles and optimized function of several energy-consuming products. For instance, nanotechnologically optimized materials like plastics or metals with carbon nanotubes could optimize cars and planes to be lighter and just as strong, thus reducing fuel consumption. An example where nanobots could be used and are working on being used is to optimize products and save energy, would be with lighting materials for light bulbs. Nanobots could add nanoscale layers of plastic and organic pigments which could change the conversion from energy to light in a light bulb from 5% to up to 50%, thus saving energy.
Most of our storage today actually includes nanotechnology, which most are unaware of because we can’t see it. Nanotechnology is used in several common technologies for storing data today and plays a key role in their function. For instance, flash storage media utilizes quantum mechanics and nanotechnology to save and delete data. In the future, nanotechnology may be used to condense storage space even further, as more and more storage is becoming necessary for companies generating massive amounts of data. In fact, physicist Dr. Sander Otte has already experimented with the possibility of data storage through the use of the atom through an experiment involving chlorine atoms. In such experiment, he created a two-dimensional array by having chlorine atoms arrange themselves on a flat copper surface. Other techniques for storing data in more condensed techniques have also been developed experimentally, like the use of nanomagnets. However, Dr. Sander Otte’s technique and other data storage experiments have come with flaws that would make them impractical or even impossible to use.
It’s
hard to tell where nanotechnology will take us in the future, or if our sci-fi
based fears of nanobots are anywhere close to what the reality of nanobots may be.
For all we know, nanobots may never actually be developed if something else is
discovered that would be more efficient and effective than the wonder of the
nanobot that we’ve all become so awed by in television. Not only that, but
nanobot technology is far from becoming a reality, currently the only
applicable breakthroughs in nanotech have been minor, and we don’t possess the
technology to develop nanobots with the same features we see in sci-fi. We’ll
just have to see where the exponential curve of technology takes us in the
coming years to really find out.
Diamandis, P. H.
(2016, May 16). Nanorobots: Where We Are Today and Why Their Future Has Amazing
Potential. Retrieved from https://singularityhub.com/2016/05/16/nanorobots-where-we-are-today-and-why-their-future-has-amazing-potential/
Gregersen, E.,
& Francis, S. (2016, August 1). Grey goo.
Retrieved August 6, 2019, from https://www.britannica.com/technology/grey-goo
Nanofactories.
(n.d.). Retrieved from https://foresight.org/nano/nanofactories.html
Berger, M.
(2015, July 23). Nanotechnology and energy – a path to a sustainable future.
Retrieved from https://www.nanowerk.com/spotlight/spotid=40843.php
Nuncic, M.
(2018, November 1). How nanotechnology could change data storage in the future.
Retrieved from https://www.ontrack.com/blog/2018/11/01/how-nanotechnology-changes-data-storage-in-the-future/ [...]
August 5, 2019Original Objective Articles / Science & TechnologyBy: Gittan Alicia | Contributing AOJ Journalist
Most technophobia in society has
always been unrealistic sci-fi based superstition, however, there has been some
technophobia society was right about. Most of us are fixated on how the fear of
technological advancement by people in the past has been overexaggerated. We’ve
forgotten about the times society was right about fearing the threats imposed
by new technology. There have been several times where society was right that
the negative effects of technology would outweigh the advantages the technology
brings.
The Atomic Bomb
The atomic bomb was first created
in the year 1945 with the intent scientific experimentation, however, the first
theorems on “Nuclear Fissure” were discovered by Albert Einstein. Before and
after the atomic bomb’s completion, several individuals involved in the
development and use of the atomic bomb began regretting the bomb’s creation and
use. Many were overcome with guilt over the use and plausible future
destruction of the atomic bomb.
While there’s no individual
“atomic bomb inventor”, there is an individual known as the “father of the
atomic bomb” for leading the Manhattan project. Julius Robert Oppenheimer was
the “father of the atomic bomb”, but as soon as he saw the first successful
trial of the atomic bomb at the famous trinity test site, he began regretting
his work in creating it, and such regret progressed as time went on. Years
after the first successful test of the atomic bomb, Oppenheimer would recall
thinking, “Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds” when he saw the
trial. After Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Oppenheimer fell into deep regret over his
creation due to the future harm he foresaw. Oppenheimer went so far as to tell
president Truman, “Mr. President, I feel I have blood on my hands.” Oppenheimer
was referring to blood on his hands from future deaths that could result from
the atomic bomb.
Albert Einstein, arguably the most
famous scientist and mathematician in history, only made small contributions to
the actual development of the atomic bomb. Einstein laid out some fundamental
concepts including coming up with the relativity theory and stating that a
small amount of matter could release a large amount of energy. Such concepts
are the only ways Einstein contributed to the atomic bomb scientifically, but
not the only way he contributed to the atomic bomb. Einstein signed a letter to
encourage president Truman to develop the atomic bomb. However, Einstein later
came to deeply regret supporting the bomb’s development, stating, “”Had I
known that the Germans would not succeed in producing an atomic bomb, I would
have never lifted a finger.”
Member of the Franck Committee
involved in the development of the atomic bomb quickly came to regret their
creation when they figured out what the bomb would be used for. At first many
members of the committee were eager to develop the bomb to use against Germany,
but once the target switched to Japan, they began to protest. Such protests
were ignored by the US government, and the bombings still took place in
Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The realization by members of the committee and the
change of target that they couldn’t stop demonstrates how powerful weapons like
the atomic bomb have the potential to cause ruin in ways mankind doesn’t
foresee.
The fear and guilt expressed by
many towards the atomic bomb was justifiable and still is today. For the first
time in human history, a weapon with the potential to wipe out the entire human
race was created. Even today, all it takes is one misinterpreted threat from a
nation with nuclear weapons to set off nuclear warfare and vast amounts of
death. Such has almost occurred in the past several times, for instance, once a
flock of migrating Canadian geese was mistaken as a Soviet bomber attack in the
1950’s.
Ham, P.
(2015, August 5). As Hiroshima Smouldered, Our Atom Bomb Scientists Suffered
Remorse. Retrieved from https://www.newsweek.com/hiroshima-smouldered-our-atom-bomb-scientists-suffered-remorse-360125
Valiunas, A.
(2006). The Agony of Atomic Genius. Retrieved from https://www.thenewatlantis.com/publications/the-agony-of-atomic-genius
Mental Floss UK.
(2015, August 4). 10 Inventors Who Came to Regret Their Creations. Retrieved
from http://mentalfloss.com/uk/history/27802/10-inventors-who-came-to-regret-their-creations
“Who Invented the Atomic Bomb?” History on the Net
© 2000-2019, Salem Media.
August 5, 2019 https://www.historyonthenet.com/who-invented-the-atomic-bomb
Marshall, S.,
& Toma, A. (2012, May 23). The close calls: how false alarms triggered
fears of nuclear war. Retrieved from https://livableworld.org/the-close-calls-how-false-alarms-triggered-fears-of-nuclear-war/
Nuclear Power Plants
Nuclear power plants are a
cheaper, more efficient, and environmentally friendly way to produce
electricity. However, nuclear power plants involve a great deal of risk with
their extensive amounts of radiation and the massive amount of energy atoms
release. There have also been several nuclear power plant disasters with
effects that outweighed the original benefits of nuclear power plants. Effects
from such disasters have included radioactive wasteland, the loss of several
lives, and the expense from nuclear destruction.
Nuclear disaster Chernobyl is
perhaps the most famous nuclear incident to ever occur and has even had a
widely popular movie created about it. The incident of Chernobyl occurred in
1986 during a power surge that resulted from a reactor systems test, which
caused an explosion and fire that destroyed Unit 4. From this incident, a great
amount of radiation escaped and spread across the Western Soviet Union and
Europe and 220,000 people had to be relocated from their homes. Such spread of
radiation has had several negative effects on the ecosystem, including the
death of pine forests close to Chernobyl.
The Fukushima Daiichi nuclear
disaster is another well-known nuclear incident. In March of 2011 an Earthquake
and tsunami struck Japan. The natural disasters managed to cut off external
power to the reactors and disable the back-up diesel generators, thus resulting
in the exhaustion of battery power and incapacitating the cooling systems. The
result was overheating fuel in the reactor cores that led to hydrogen
explosions and radiation contamination in wide areas surrounding the power
plant. Over 100,000 people ended up needing to be evacuated and for several
years the environment around Fukushima was uninhabitable due to radiation.
There are several other examples
that illustrate the dangers of nuclear power plants. But with the two instances
shown, one can see how the risks and disasters of nuclear power plants can
outweigh their initial advantages. Therefore, it’s important to note that while
the initial benefits of nuclear power can be attractive, one must account for
the detrimental effects that could result from an incident.
Dadiverina, A.
(2016, December 8). Chernobyl effects on humans, animals and nature in area.
Retrieved from https://chernobylguide.com/chernobyl_effects/
World Nuclear
Association. (2018, October). Fukushima Daiichi Accident. Retrieved August 5,
2019, from http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/safety-and-security/safety-of-plants/fukushima-accident.aspx
Union of
Concerned Scientists. (n.d.). A Brief History of Nuclear Accidents Worldwide.
Retrieved August 5, 2019, from https://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-power/nuclear-power-accidents/history-nuclear-accidents
Chemical Weapons
Chemicals were first utilized as
weapons by the Germans in WWI when Fritz Haber oversaw the first use of
chlorine gas at Ypres. The chlorine gas would appear in a greenish-yellow gas
that smelled of bleach and at high enough doses would kill. From this point
onwards, chemical weapons would become widely used in warfare and Fritz Haber
would infamously become known as the “father of chemical warfare”.
Despite prohibition, as time
progressed chemicals continued to be used and improved upon in warfare. Following
chlorine gas was the development of phosgene gas. Phosgene was especially
deadly because it was colorless and soldiers wouldn’t know they received a
deadly dose until after a day or two when their lungs were filled with fluid
and they suffocated, a painful death. Following phosgene gas was mustard gas,
perhaps the most commonly used gas in chemical warfare. Mustard gas was a
powerful blistering agents that had a potent smell and hours after exposure
would cause blistering in moist areas that would pop and become infected. The
highest number of casualties from chemical weapons were caused by mustard gas.
Due to the lethality, brutality
and immense suffering caused by chemicals in warfare, soldiers were often
terrified of chemical warfare. Public outrage built up about chemical warfare
and eventually the Geneva Protocol was put in place. However, this protocol had
many shortcomings and was generally disregarded. It wasn’t until the Chemical
Weapon Convention that chemical warfare was finally brought under control. Even
today, people still remember chemical warfare, especially in trench warfare, as
a dreadful time.
Scientist Mind.
(2018, May 28). Scientists who regretted their inventions. Retrieved from http://www.lbjhs.net/scientists-who-regretted-their-inventions/
United Nations
Office for Disarmament Affairs. (n.d.). Chemical Weapons.
Retrieved August 5, 2019, from https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/chemical/
Grojek, W.,
& Coelho, C. (2018, April 22). Chemical Weapons: A Deadly History.
Retrieved August 5, 2019, from https://www.rferl.org/a/history-of-chemical-weapons/29184063.html
Conclusion
These are just a few of many
invention people were right to fear in the past. Even today many of them still
pose a threat. With nuclear bombs all it takes is one mistake or
miscommunication and there could be full on nuclear war all throughout the
world. Nuclear power plants pose a threat today due to their high risk and
dangers, all it takes is carelessness from a few employees or a natural
disaster and a nuclear power plant accident could take place. Chemical weapons
still pose a threat too, they could easily be utilized by terrorists or
wrongfully used in warfare by any particular country. These are all potential
threats, and due to past and current circumstances, it’s justifiable for people
to fear them. [...]
August 5, 2019Education / Original Objective Articles By: Doktor Prax Evad | Contributing AOJ journalist
Learning theories that center around cognition seem very appropriate to human learning and appear particularly useful when examining problem solving. Even some behaviorists attribute cognition as an important element of learning. E. C. Tolman (1948) believed that behavior was guided by purpose. Organisms selectively take in information from the environment and build up cognitive maps as they learn. From cognition learning and associated theories, such as schema theory, it can be hypothesized that cognitive maps or schema are enhanced by learner errors. The contribution of error making to learning is the subject of this paper. Parts of various theories are directly impacted by error making with respect to the learning process. These theories are identified and expounded upon with regard to error making; thereby, arriving at new theories or insights to previous theories.
Errors Relate New Information to Existing Schema by Specifying Differences
Encoding is an aspect of cognitive theory and memory that is directly impacted by a learner making errors during the learning process. “Encoding refers to the process of relating incoming information to concepts and ideas already in memory in such a way that the new material is more memorable. Left to their natural inclinations, humans will always try to make things meaningful, to fit some new experience into the fabric of what they already know.” (Driscoll, 2000, p. 91). Errors make new experiences more meaningful by relating differences between what already is in memory and providing guidance on what a thing is not. For example, suppose a child already has in memory that a dog has four legs and then encounters a horse. The child may refer to the horse as a dog. This error might be corrected by the parent causing the child to identify differences between a horse and a dog, such as size or a mane. The new definition of a horse now has greater meaning to the child.
The
example given in the previous paragraph describing how errors lead to
identified differences and similarities also relates to the theory of
correlative subsumption. When defining
subsumption Driscoll (2000) stated that
“The principal way of adding information to cognitive structure, in
Ausubel’s view, is to attach new ideas and details in a subordinate fashion to
the anchoring ideas already present…More typical of the way most learning
occurs, according to Ausubul, is correlative subsumption. This process refers to elaboration,
extension, or modification of the previously learned concept or proposition by
the subsumption of the incoming idea.” (p. 120). Part of cognitive structure is also what
things are NOT. Differences are often
more meaningful than similarities and making errors allows identifying
differences. Interestingly, when engaged
in a process where errors occur and a learner’s concept or result proves true,
rather than in error, more confidence in the result and a stronger connection
to the concept or result is made thanks to previous errors.
When
existing schemata evolve to become more consistent with experience, then tuning
has occurred. Rumelhart and Norman
(1978) suggested that this process accounts for the minor schema modifications
that come with new exemplars of concepts and principles. This indicates that errors help tune schema
and are not only used by novices while instituting trial and error techniques,
but are also used by experts to tune current schema.
In
tuning schema, errors help assure that the new information added to your
current schema is uniquely relevant to and suitable to the learner. Errors allow you to gather more information
that more appropriately fits your schema than delivered reception, such as
information delivered directly from a teacher.
These errors are also the errors to which you may personally be prone,
and therefore, need to learn.
Dispositions and one’s unique schemas change how you will react to
learning and new information. Errors
assure that new information is customized to the learner’s disposition. “Encoding performance does not occur in a
vacuum: perceptions are framed in context and result from a dynamic interaction
between characteristics of the performance context and individual dispositions”
(Iigen, 2000, p. 3).
Problem Solving Requires Exploration and Inherent Mistakes
Exploration is a technique of
learning that has proven very effective and is particularly apt when problem
solving is required. For novices,
exploration is often accomplished through trial and error since without a base
of knowledge it may be difficult to at first form specific goals and intentions. At the other extreme, experts perform
exploration using a systematic approach where hypotheses are tested against
expected and non-expected results (errors).
“Systematic exploration is an optimal pattern of behavior that leads to
the highest probability of successful task completion. The term systematic
refers to the process in which a person forms goals and intentions based on
hypotheses about how the task should be done. These hypotheses are tested in a
logical manner and outcomes are evaluated in order to plan further behavior” (Van
Der Linden, Sonnentag, Frese, & Van Dyck, 2001, p.190). Errors or mistakes in the learner’s
hypotheses are expected as they progress through the process, and these errors
force the learner to continuously reevaluate and sharpen their hypotheses. No other learning technique provides as much
guidance as systematic exploration due to its nature of constantly evaluating
mistakes and errors, as well as the (typically less frequent) successes.
Reception learning is essentially the same
as what commonly occurs in expository instruction, where learners are told
information rather than discovering it for themselves. Science textbooks, for
example, state principles and provide examples of their applications. Errors in reception learning play a small
role in achieving understanding. By
contrast, discovery learning is accomplished where students derive
understanding from their exploration, such as through experiments from which
they derive the understanding of scientific principles. The benefits of discovery learning over
receptive learning are based on the ability to make mistakes from which one can
easily learn and the broader understanding inherent in testing your schema
against unknown variables and conditions.
Guided Error Learning Compared To Exploration
Errors
can be made intentionally as directed by instruction and as part of the
learning process using a technique referred to as guided error learning. Guided error learning is not as effective as
explorative learning that produces errors because the learner attributes guided
errors to something that was supposed to happen. Since the error was intended, there is little
surprise to focus learner attention and fewer opportunities to develop
metacognitive skills. In addition,
guided errors probably are not the same errors that a learner would naturally
make, and therefore, are less applicable to the learner’s schema or tuning that
schema.
Simulators
and games offer an environment where guided error learning or explorative error
learning can take place and where theory is closely connected to real-life
experiences without fear of real-life consequences (Henry, 1997). For the reasons stated in the previous
paragraph, simulators and games are better tools for learning if there are
non-prescribed errors, which implies explorative error learning. While teaching classes at New York Power
Authority using a power system simulator, I have observed the benefits of
explorative error learning over guided error learning. The students were given labs to complete with
guided errors included. The students had
difficulty identifying why the errors were important and relating the errors to
how they actual use the system. During
free-time (explore the simulator program on your own) after a lesson, the
students gained significant proficiency in using the program if I was available
to answer the questions as they explored and made mistakes. Note that the students all had different
questions using the computer in reference to the lesson previously
provided. The differences indicate that
they all have unique schema that are tuned with unique information; hence,
explorative error learning was superior to guided error learning.
Simulation
or games are good methods of teaching problem solving because they allow schema
transfer through application, which is the next subject to be covered. Application is critical due to its
explorative nature where one feels or finds their way to the solution by making
mistakes. These mistakes or errors guide
the learner to the solution keeping the learner on a proper path for that
specific learner.
Invoking Relevant Schema
Errors make one raise the question, “why is an
answer inappropriate?” and facilitate transfer or application of schema. It is crucial that schema not only be
properly formed, but also that the proper schema are applied to new problems
through a process known as transfer.
Errors in explorative learning enhance the learner’s ability to invoke
relevant schema in new situations.
“Schema theory is more comprehensive than meaningful reception learning
in being able to account for how learners bring to bear what they know on
solving problems. But neither theory is
focused particularly on how people learn when to use their knowledge. Although transfer may be a matter of invoking
relevant schema, determining when a schema is relevant turns out to be no easy
task.” (Driscoll, 2000, p.149) Perhaps,
people learn when to use their knowledge under various schema based on errors
indicating when the knowledge is inappropriate to the situation.
Working on problems or looking at problems from
multiple angles with multiple examples helps students learn why mistakes are
made and ultimately develop a proper schema for the problem type. “It is possible that when errors are present
the performer has to create hypotheses about how to correct them and, thus,
adopts a selective learning strategy.
When errors are absent, there is no need to test hypotheses because the
movement is effective (successful).
Therefore, participants who do not make errors may adopt an unselective
mode of learning by default.” (Maxwell, Masters, Kerr, & Weedon, 2001, p. 1052)
Errors and Motivation
Making errors can have a dubious effect on one’s motivation, which is also critical to the learning process. However, errors can be made with positive effects when the learner is placed in a positive learning environment since a learner understands they are to make mistakes in such an environment. It is important to let the learner know that such mistakes are expected and encouraged as part of the learning process. As an instructor, consider treating wrong answers as successes and expected outcomes during the learning process. At work when teaching a new employee to develop training material, the employee seems to do better over the several draft iterations when I warn them upfront that I will almost undoubtedly markup their drafts extensively while they learn our process and that this is to be expected. Since these mistakes are expected, they have less of an impact on motivation than in a non-learning environment.
Errors can help a learner become more motivated through increased attention. For example, task complexity or difficulty is a factor that influences selective attention. An indication to the learner of task complexity or difficulty is making mistakes or errors while working on the task. Selective attention helps take information from sensory memory and transfer it to working memory.
Striving
to succeed and treating errors as motivational allows the learner to focus on achieving
difficult answers. I refer to this
concept as the obsession factor. When I am working on a task, such as
installing software, I become more focused on my task as I encounter more
problems (mistakes or errors in my schema).
To tune my schema and adapt, I focus harder on the problem to overcome
it. If a task is simple, less learning
usually results due to less attention and less input of new information through
errors to my schema. Beware of striving
for unobtainable goals in learning or the learner will lose confidence and/or
hit frustration. “When learners
encounter instruction that makes no sense to them, it becomes an impossible
task to call upon prior knowledge, because there is no way to judge what knowledge
will be relevant.” (Driscoll, 2000, p.144)
Errors Give the Learner Confidence in the Correct Answer
Errors give the learner confidence
in the correct answer by assuring that feedback is working properly. An example is the time I taught an energy
management system computer course. The subject
on which the learners performed worst was emergency rotating load
shedding. This subject was taught in
simulation mode but the simulation was not working properly and feedback was
not given, such as a switch open symbol after opening a switch. Without this feedback, the learners had no
idea whether they were doing tasks properly or improperly.
The trial and error technique works on the same principle of requiring feedback of errors or successes so that the learner has confidence in the correct answer. Illustration of this principle is shown in some of Thorndike’s research. Thorndike was particularly interested in discovering whether his animals could learn their tasks through imitation or observation (Kentridge, 2001). He compared the learning curves of cats who have been given the opportunity of observing others escaping from a box with those who had never seen the box being solved and found no differences in their rate of learning. He obtained the same null result with dogs and, even when he showed the animals methods of opening a box by placing their paws on the appropriate levers and so on, he found no improvement. He fell back on a much simpler trial and error explanation of learning. Occasionally quite by chance, an animal performs an action which frees it from the box. When the animal finds itself in the same position again it is more likely to perform the same action again.
Proper Feedback Is Critical to Learning from Errors
As alluded to in the previous
section on confidence, proper feedback is critical to learning from
errors. Errors without feedback are less
instructive than errors with feedback.
Feedback can be achieved through self monitoring or provided externally. Feedback has been found to be an important
instructional variable in improving student achievement. Research by Clark and Dwyer (1998) shows that
“in computer-assisted instruction, feedback is a very important external
condition that can be manipulated to positively effect the learner’s
performance…Kulhavy found feedback after incorrect response to be effective in
facilitating learner achievement…When confidence is high in an error response,
feedback acts as a strong corrective device, and the resulting facilitation
tends to maintain itself over a retention interval” (p. 1).
Based
on the separation between the error itself and the error consequence it is
useful to differentiate between three types of error consequences as identified
by Van Der Linden, Sonnetag, Frese, & Van Dyck (2001). First, negative
consequences for direct goal attainment (e.g. errors that block further
effective behavior or errors that destroy earlier constructive work). Second,
non-effective actions: erroneous actions that do not have any direct effect at
all (e.g. pushing non-active buttons or other worthless attempts). Finally,
actions which are in essence wrong (do not lead to the intended goal) but might
lead to insight in solving the task being performed (positive error
consequence).
Note
that errors can teach dysfunctional behavior if goals are specified incorrectly
or with lack of precision and consequently reinforcers are applied. This theory is based upon Thorndike’s Law
of Effect: “When a modifiable connection
between a single situation and a response is made and is accompanied by a
satisfying state of affairs, that connection’s strength is increased. When made and accompanied by an annoying
state of affairs, its strength is decreased.” (1913, p. 4)
Suggested Additional Components to Improve My Errors Enhance Learning
Theory
To
improve my existing theory, a study of the weighted relationship between errors
and successes would prove useful. This
information would provide insight to the degree which errors influence
learning. The analysis would need to be
with regards to different types of learning, such as rote, problem solving,
etc.
Another
way to improve the theory would be to add a component on optimal angles from
which to approach a problem. The optimal
angles or contexts would need to address how errors interrelate from these
various angles of attacking a single problem or performing a single task. I am curious to know if there is a non-linear
increase in understanding based on a multiple angles approach.
Summary
Based on research performed by
others and anecdotal evidence of my own experiences, performing errors and
making mistakes during the learning process enhances a learner’s schema. Errors add additional information to the
schema that is tailored to the individual learner and more readily fits into or
adjusts their schema. Additionally,
errors can be a positive motivational factor by focusing selective attention in
the proper learning environment. Perhaps
the most important benefit of errors and mistakes is in the area of applying
relevant schema to new tasks and problems.
Errors make one raise the question, “why is an answer inappropriate?”
and facilitate transfer or application of schema.
References
Clark, K. & Dwyer, F. M.
(1998). Effect of different types of
computer-assisted feedback strategies on achievement and response
confidence. International Journal of
Instructional Media, 25, 55-63.
Driscoll, M. P. (2000). Psychology
of learning for instruction (2nd ed.). Needham Heights, MA:
Allyn and Bacon.
Henry, J. M. (1997). Gaming: A teaching strategy to enhance adult
learning. The journal of continuing
education in nursing, 28, 231-234.
Iigen, D. R. (2000). Bearing bad news: Reactions to negative
performance feedback. Applied Psychology, 49, 550-566.
Ivancic, K. & Hesketh, B.
(2000). Learning from errors in a
driving simulation: Effects on driving
skill and self-confidence. Ergonomics,
43, 1966-1984.
Kentridge, R. W. (2001) Operant
conditioning and behaviorism – an historical outline. Paper was restructured from a lecture.
Maxwell, J. P., Masters, K. E.,
& Weedon, E. (2001). The implicit
benefit of learning without errors. The
quarterly journal of experimental psychology, 54A, 1049-1068.
Rumelhart, D. E., and Norman, D. A.
(1978). Accretion, tuning and
restructuring: Three modes of learning.
In J. W. Cotton and R. L. Klatzky (Eds.), Semantic factors in
cognition. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Thorndike, E. L. (1913). Educational psychology. Vol. II. The
psychology of learning, New York: Teachers College, Columbia University.
Tolman, E. C. (1948). Cognitive maps in rats and men. Psychological review, 55, 189-208.
Van Der Linden, D., Sonnentag, S.,
Frese, M., & Van Dyck, C. (2001).
Exploration strategies, performance, and error consequences when
learning a complex computer task. Behaviour
& Information Technology, 189-198. [...]
June 30, 2019Original Objective Articles / Science & Technology Have you ever feared technology,
perhaps you may have feared the effects technology might bring to your friends,
family, or even society? The generalizing term for this “Fear” Would be
Technophobia. In essence, technophobia is a fear of new technology and has
occurred all throughout history. Technophobia was common in the Greek and
Anglo-Saxon times and is even prevalent in today’s largely tech-based society.
In fact, it seems that as technology advances, technophobia among the peoples
of society increases too.
Writing for
Everyone
Believe it or not, writing,
something most of us take for granted, was feared upon its first introduction
to society as a whole. In fact, the idea of writing being allowed for everyone is
still feared by some in certain parts of the world. When writing was first
introduced into society, it was commonly only available to the upper classes
and men. It was a common belief in early societies that men were superior to
women and therefore should be the ones who receive an education to read in
write. This belief, known as patriarchy, is still existent in certain cultures.
In North East Nigeria, women are
often denied access to education due to cultural beliefs about the women’s role
in society. Extremists like Boko Haram make the situation far worse for
Nigerian women by leading efforts to prevent women from receiving education.
The Boko Haram extremist group makes such efforts out of religious belief. They
fear women’s education and literacy because they consider it a violation of
their Islamic religion.
Not only was writing feared by
individuals due to religious or cultural purposes; writing was feared for its
effects on society as a whole. This was a fear common among those who were
accustomed to teaching by word. Socrates, for instance, “was anxious about the
emerging power of the written word over face-to-face contact.” Doesn’t that
sound familiar? Socrates’ fear of written word reducing face-to-face contact is
the same as the fear of phones replacing face-to-face contact expressed by many
in today’s society. This goes to show how all innovations and technology, even
that of writing, induce fear among individuals of society.
Citations:
ISS
Today. (2018, April 16). ISS Today: Africa needs a revolution in education.
Retrieved from https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-04-16-africa-needs-a-revolution-in-education/#.WuiGK9PwbdcCNN
Library. (2019, May 21). Boko Haram Fast Facts. Retrieved June 27,
2019, from https://www.cnn.com/2014/06/09/world/boko-haram-fast-facts/index.html
The
Printing Press
Before the invention of the
printing press at about 1440CE, monks would make copies of books by handwriting
copies themselves. Therefore, the printing press was considered a threat to the
copying business the monks were involved in. The monks themselves feared the
printing press because they would be out of the copying business, and others
feared the printing press because they believed monks would become lazy without
the task of copying texts. Johannes Trithemius, a German Benedictine Abbot,
stated, “For monks, labor was part and parcel of devotion, and if you weren’t
good at writing, you could do binding, or painting, or for heaven’s sake
practice. And it goes even further: the labor of manuscript writing was
something for monks to do — for there was no greater danger for the devout
soul than idleness.” It’s apparent from this quote that Trithemius feared the
printing press because he thought monks would become lazy. Of course, the monks
never actually became lazy from the invention of the printing press; monks
simply moved on to carry out other tasks. The same has occurred with other new
inventions throughout history, people simply adapt to the new technology and
focus on other tasks.
Citations:
Hughes, B.
(2010, October 17). Socrates ? a man for our times. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/oct/17/socrates-philosopher-man-for-our-timesMasnik, M.
(2011, February 25). A Fifteenth Century Technopanic About The Horrors Of The
Printing Press. Retrieved from https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110119/05022912725/fifteenth-century-technopanic-about-horrors-printing-press.shtml
Trains
Like many inventions in today’s world, trains were feared for their possible effects on health. When trains were invented, they were the fastest form of transportation that had ever been seen. This simple factor of speed led people to fear trains because they thought traveling so fast was unnatural and harmful for the human body.
Unsurprisingly, there was a
Victorian belief that train speed and movement would drive some men insane.
Such men that went crazy on the trains were known as railway madmen. It was
said that these men would be perfectly normal until the train started moving,
and then they would become uncivil and dangerous to the people around them. The
idea of the railway madmen was particularly unnerving during Victorian times because
the carriages were locked for privacy reasons, meaning people could be trapped inside
with the madmen.
Citations:
Hayes, J.
(2017, May 12). The Victorian Belief That a Train Ride Could Cause Instant
Insanity. Retrieved from https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/railway-madness-victorian-trains
Radio
The radio was an invention that came to be feared by not only the masses but by its very own inventor. While the idea of an inventor fearing their own invention sounds concerning and strange, quite a few inventors have actually feared their own inventions. In inventor Guglielmo Marconi’s case, he had believed his radio technology was perfected in 1895, but approximately 20 years later radio technology was altered to broadcast to the masses. Marconi had only intended for his radio to be used to improve communications between ships at sea. When he discovered his radio technology was being used to broadcast to the masses he asked: “Have I done the world good, or have I added a menace?”
The masses, on the other hand,
feared radio for its distraction to the minds of the young. It was commonly
believed that children were being distracted from schoolwork by the excitement
of the radio, and therefore, children’s performance in school was diminishing.
A 1985 magazine known as gramophone expanded upon such an idea, claiming
radio programs were offsetting the balance of children’s easily excitable
minds. Similar accusations have been made by the masses and the media towards
other communication technologies.
Citations:
Bell, V.
(2010, February 15). A history of media technology scares, from the printing
press to Facebook. Retrieved from https://slate.com/technology/2010/02/a-history-of-media-technology-scares-from-the-printing-press-to-facebook.html
Wilson, L.
(n.d.). 11 Examples of Fear and Suspicion Of New Technology.
Retrieved June 27, 2019, from https://lenwilson.us/11-examples-of-fear-and-suspicion-of-new-technology/Danielle, T.
(n.d.). 9 Irrational Panics From History About “Crazy” Technology
That We Use Everyday Now. Retrieved June 27, 2019, from https://www.ranker.com/list/historical-freak-outs-about-new-technology/taeyura
Cars
Only a century ago were cars
introduced to society and the fear among the masses about their introduction at
the time is opposite of the fear among the masses about self-driving cars. The
fear among the masses about cars both 100 years ago and now is largely based on
what people are accustomed too. People in the 1890’s were accustomed to the
horse-drawn carriage, and people today are accustomed to having full control
over a car.
The people of the 1890’s feared
cars due to the fact that they are driven by people with no aid of another
intelligence. With the horse-drawn carriage, the people liked the secondary
intelligence of the horse because where people failed, horses would act to help
avoid collisions. Therefore, the people feared there would be significantly
greater collision and death with cars. However, people didn’t seem to account
for the fact that the car has brakes and driving a horse-drawn carriage
requires much more attention by the driver to the vehicle and horses.
Today’s society fears the idea of self-driving vehicles because the driver no longer has control of the vehicle. Instead, the computer drives using artificial intelligence and algorithms to avoid collisions and obey traffic laws. People fear the artificial intelligence of self-driving cars won’t be able to account for enough, making the self-driving vehicles less safe than people-operated cars. The increased focus by the media on incidents with the new self-driving car technology has also contributed to the fear being expressed by society.
Citations:
Naughton, K.
(2019, March 14). Bloomberg. Retrieved June 27, 2019, from https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-14/americans-still-fear-self-driving-carsAnslow, L.
(2016, November 3). Forget self-driving car anxiety: In the early days human
drivers were the fear. Retrieved from https://timeline.com/forget-self-driving-car-anxiety-in-the-early-days-human-drivers-were-the-fear-55a770262c10
The Telephone
Imagine being able to use
telephones to communicate with the dead. While that sounds like a wild and
impossible idea, when telephones were first introduced to society it was
believed by some that telephones would eventually be used to communicate with
the dead. This simple suggestion that telephones could be used to communicate
with the dead struck fear into the hearts of a few.
On a wider scale, telephones were
feared by the public due to their electrical components. People thought that if
“they stood near… in a thunderstorm they might get hit by
lightning.” There didn’t even need to be a storm for people to fear being
shocked by a telephone. In fact, people feared the electrical wiring of the telephone
could electrocute them
Another fear of the telephone we
are all aware of today is the fear of society becoming anti-social due to a
lesser need for interaction in person. While such fear at the time turned out
to be true to some degree, the integration of the telephone into society has
not wiped face-to-face interaction off the face of the earth. People have found
phones to be more of a tool to extend interaction with people when they’re not
with them than to be a means of avoiding all face-to-face social interaction.
Citations:
Danielle, T.
(n.d.). 9 Irrational Panics From History About “Crazy” Technology
That We Use Everyday Now. Retrieved June 27, 2019, from https://www.ranker.com/list/historical-freak-outs-about-new-technology/taeyuraLaFrance, A.
(2015, September 6). When the Telephone Was Dangerous. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/notes/2015/09/when-the-telephone-was-dangerous/403609/
Airplanes
Flying in the 1950’s was far more
dangerous than it is today. All it took was a bit of turbulence and someone’s
neck could snap. At the time, airplanes weren’t designed as much for safety
either, so even tripping as one walks across the plane could result in death or
injury. There were even glass dividers separating first class from economy that
could shatter and cause injury in an accident or turbulence. The fatality rate
on airplanes in 1952 was 5.2 deaths per every 100,000 hours of flight, whereas,
the fatality rate on airplanes today is 1.33 fatalities per 100,000 hours of
flight. Given these dangers and statistics, it makes sense why people of the
1950’s feared airplanes.
Citations:
Brownlee, J.
(2013, December 5). What It Was Really Like To Fly During The Golden Age Of
Travel. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/3022215/what-it-was-really-like-to-fly-during-the-golden-age-of-travel
Personal
Computers
Computers were feared for several
reasons, ranging from the fear of computers enslaving people to the fear of the
overwhelming complexity of using a computer. This fear of computers is known as
cyberphobia and was prevalent at the time personal computers were first
introduced to society.
In 1996, there was a book released
claiming women were afflicted with cyberphobia called “Women and Computers”.
The book entailed descriptions of emotions women faced that reflected a fear of
touching, damaging, discussing, or reading about computers. It was also stated
in the book that women feared becoming enslaved by the computers. This fear of
enslavement by computers is explained by the distinction between two different
views of computers and the reaction of women to such distinction.
When personal computers were first
released, they were either thought of as a tool or machine. Those who
considered computers as a tool saw computers as an extension of the user.
Whereas, those who viewed computers as machines saw computers as an instrument
that imposes its own rhythm and rules on the users. Females who viewed
computers as a machine were more likely to fear them; many females at the time
did not like the idea of being “slaves” by being forced to work according to
the machine’s rules.
Citations:
Grundy, A. F.,
& Grundy, J. (1996). Women and Computers. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=XKD8oj4x26QC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_atb#v=onepage&q&f=falseNguyen, C.
(2016, August 2). 7 world-changing inventions that were ridiculed when they
came out. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/inventions-that-were-ridiculed-2016-8#personal-computers-5
Television
People’s fear of the television
was like a magnified version of their previous fear of radio. There was a fear
that television would harm the social interaction between people and degrade
the American culture. People genuinely thought that there’d be no more reading
or conversing with one another, and the television would alter family
relationships.
Not only was the television feared
for its possible impact on social interactions, it was also feared by investors
for its possible impact on the radio. Radio investors feared the new technology
would harm their investments as people turn from radio to television. This
contributed to a great amount of criticism towards the television.
Citations:
Danielle, T.
(n.d.). 9 Irrational Panics From History About “Crazy” Technology
That We Use Everyday Now. Retrieved June 27, 2019, from https://www.ranker.com/list/historical-freak-outs-about-new-technology/taeyura
Video
Games
Starting in 1976 videogames became
a topic of controversy. Up until 1976, video games released were either
nonviolent or featured violence that was considered morally acceptable. The
release of Exidy’s Death Race video game set off the controversy in 1976 by
featuring a game in which points were awarded to the player by mowing down
pedestrians, an immoral form of violence. People feared the spread of immoral
values through video games, which is what set off the controversy.
In 1997, videogames were brought to court for the first time by anti-video games activist and attorney Jack Thomson. After the death of students in a shooting at Heath High School, Thomson came to court with the claim that the shooter’s violence was a result of violent video games. Thomson based his claim on the idea that the distribution of violent materials like violent video games cause desensitization and tendencies towards violence in minors. While Thomson’s case was dismissed for failing to present a legally recognizable claim, his thoughts towards the impact of violent video games on minors is still a topic in society today.
Citations:
National
Coalition Against Censorship. (n.d.). A Timeline of Video Game Controversies.
Retrieved June 27, 2019, from https://ncac.org/resource/a-timeline-of-video-game-controversiesKocurek, C. A.
(n.d.). The Agony and the Exidy: A History of Video Game Violence and the
Legacy of Death Race. Retrieved from http://gamestudies.org/1201/articles/carly_kocurek
Cloning/Genetics
When most people think of cloning,
they think of the sci-fi scary stories they’ve seen on television or read
about. This has caused a lot of fear and suspicion towards the scientific community
when it comes to cloning. People have feared things ranging from unethical baby
farms for organs to the mass production of carbon-copy people. These sci-fi
based fears of the masses towards cloning make it hard for people to see the
benefits of cloning in the medical world, but certainly aren’t uncalled for.
With the new gene editing
technologies on the rise and its possible integration with cloning, there is
moral concern. Gene editing and cloning could be used together to create
“designer babies”, which could result in discrimination towards people of
certain characteristics and hybrid peoples, which is unnatural. There’s also
the use of developing embryos in cloning, which raises a moral concern. Some
have claimed the use of embryo’s for stem cell research is unethical because it
is in essence killing one person to save another.
The fears raised by people towards
cloning and genetics is rather unique because they’re more moral based than
based on the actual effects on society. For instance, people fearing the use of
embryos in cloning is solely based on the morality of it. As in, is the use of
embryos actually killing one person to save another? Because if so, people are
determining who does and doesn’t deserve to live. Which is a fear of moral not
a fear of impact on society. Other inventions like the radio were feared for
their direct impact on society. Like people feared radio would ruin the social
interactions between people; a fear of impact not morals.
Citations:
Sandel, M. J.
(2002, May 28). The Anti-Cloning Conundrum. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/28/opinion/the-anti-cloning-conundrum.htmlWired
Staff. (2004, February 12). The Truth Behind Fear and Cloning. Retrieved from https://www.wired.com/2004/02/the-truth-behind-fear-and-cloning/
Conclusion
Technophobia continues in our modern-day society, and will likely never cease. Currently, society is going through a wave of fear over developing AI technology. This fear is partially based on the sci-fi movies featuring AI machines that outsmart and enslave the human race causing suspicion and distrust by people towards AI machine advancement. However, we’ll never know if this fear is a bunch of sci-fi fantasy or if it’s legitimate until the development and integration of AI technology is complete. [...]
May 27, 2019BlogsThe origin of Memorial Day comes from Decoration Day that was implemented after the Civil War as a day of remembrance for soldiers who died during the Civil War. The date May 30th was chosen as Decoration Day as the date was not associated with any particular battles during the Civil War. The southern states had an alternate date that was used as a day of remembrance for confederate fallen soldiers until after World War 1. After World War 1, Decoration Day became known as Memorial Day where all American Military Personnel who died during war are remembered many of these celebrations included parades, visiting and decorating graves. Memorial Day was celebrated on May 30th until 1971, that is when the law passed by Congress making Memorial Day a Federal Holiday to be observed the last Monday in May to allow a 3 day weekend for Federal Employees. Over time Memorial Day has been diluted to indicate the beginning of summer and the opening of those community pools. Take some time today to acknowledge the ultimate sacrifice our fellow Americans in the military have made to ensure that this great country remains America.
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March 6, 2019Alex's BlogSometimes we all get a little sad and that leads us to listen to sad music. A lot of people listen to music that relates to their feelings. However, that may not always be the best thing to do. For instance, many people don’t realize that listening to sad music when they’re feeling down actually causes their depressed mood to worsen.
The same phenomenon occurs with happy music. If someone is in a good mood they usually listen to happy music, increasing their good mood. In a more complex scenario, if a happy person listens to sad music it tends to change their mood around and they become sad; when an upset person listens to happy music their mood tends to switch around to a happier mood. It’s important for people to take note of the affects music has on their moods because, whether they realize it or not, music has a huge impact on people’s moods. [...]
March 5, 2019Original Opinionated Articles / Religion, Morals, and Everyday LifeBy: Gittan Alicia | Contributing AOJ Journalist
Puzzles are
quite an interesting subject. All one is doing is putting pieces together in
the right place to form an end result of some sort, yet one can find immense
joy in doing so. From an outside view, puzzles sound dull and simplistic, but
once one sits down and tries solving a puzzle, one tends to be dumbfounded and
overcome with frustration at so great challenge. Why is this so, and why are some
people better at working out puzzles than others?
Puzzles can range from putting
together actual tangible pieces of a variety shapes to form the end result of
an image, to recording numbers in boxes so all rows and columns equal a
particular sum. Yet all of these puzzles, regardless of their type, require a
certain skill, this skill is known as problem solving. Puzzles force an
individual to take several different approaches to solve a problem, and
eventually these approaches will be perfected and evaluated through trial and
error. For example, when solving a standard picture puzzle, one could simply
grab random pieces one by one and start sticking them together, or look for
only corner pieces, or sort through the pieces and put them into sections according
to where they might belong based off the picture. An individual could also use
a combination of these approaches in several different orders to determine what
they think works best, but to do so requires trial and error, which is problem
solving. This means that to solve a puzzle efficiently, the individual needs
problem solving, and therefore, problem solving is developed through the art of
solving puzzles.
The benefits of solving puzzles can
easily be seen in the real world. Jobs require problem solving in a variety of activities
ranging from creating theories, forming and testing hypotheses, and changing
the approach when something doesn’t work out. This might sound like something
that can only be applied to scientific work, but it can be applied to any job.
For instance, an individual could use the problem-solving methods by testing
out different schedules, amounts of sleep, and activities to maximize their
efficiency at work and overall mood. Problem solving is also useful to make an
individual more innovative and adaptive when changes occur or things come up at
work because they’re able to effectively come up with an approach with a greater
chance at working. Problem solving can also give a company an advantage over
competition through critical thinking that maximizes company performance.
Therefore, solving puzzles can be
greatly beneficial for improving an individual’s problem-solving skills. These
skills can be useful in work and everyday life in several ways and by
possessing them, one can be more efficient and valuable as a worker. This means
that one should try developing problem solving skills whether it be through
solving puzzles or not, because it will help them later in life and possibly
lead to a higher paying job or position.
Citations:
What
are problem-solving skills and why are they important?. (2017, June 13).
Retrieved from https://www.careerbuilder.com/advice/what-are-problemsolving-skills-and-why-are-they-importantThe
Surprising Benefits of Puzzles for Adults. (2018, August 23). Retrieved from http://classifieds.usatoday.com/uncategorized/the-surprising-benefits-of-puzzle-solving-for-adults/ [...]
February 24, 2019Original Objective Articles / Religion, Morals, and Everyday LifeBy: Gittan Alicia | Contributing AOJ Journalist
Time management, it’s one of those things everyone is aware of, but most don’t pay attention to or seriously consider. Most think time management isn’t a problem they have, because they think only seriously disorganized people struggle with it, however, this is a false assumption. Anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed with what they need to do, stressed about a deadline coming up soon, or worried about a test the next day, has struggled with time management. If one were to break down all the things in the list I just mentioned, one would notice that all of them are related to being unprepared, and the reason for being unprepared would be not setting aside time to prepare. For instance, if one is worried about a test one has the next day, the odds are that person feels he/she didn’t study enough, and the reason for this would be that he/she didn’t set aside enough time to study. Problems like these could be significantly reduced if one set aside enough time for everything they did and planned everything out so one wouldn’t miss anything while setting aside extra time in case something does come up.
There are several reasons people tend to struggle with time management. One of these reasons is that, people tend to underestimate the time it will take them to complete a task. For instance, one might think writing a paper for a class will only take 2 hours, so he/she plans to hang out with a friend after those two hours they planned, but in actuality, the person had struggled with the first paragraph and didn’t finish the essay in the time given. Another reason people struggle with time management is due to time perception and control. Those who don’t plan out their activities and make lists and reminders, feel more overwhelmed and stressed about what needs to get done. This is because these people don’t feel like they have control over the time and because of this don’t know how to fit in what needs to get done. Someone who plans his/her activities does feel like he/she has control over the time because he/she knows exactly when to complete each activity and have planned to fit the activities to be finished in time.
Despite
the fact that time management can seem overwhelming and impossible to deal
with, there are several ways to deal with it and each person is different, so trying
several different methods may be necessary to find what works. One method to
deal with time management is to make a to-do list. This list should include everything
that needs to be done with certain things marked as prioritized more than
others. Deadlines should also be included in the list to ensure the item is
completed by the necessary time and once the item is completed, it should be
checked off. Another way to help deal with time management is to reduce
multitasking. While multitasking may seem more productive because more than one
thing is getting done at once, it’s not. The human mind works better when it
can completely concentrate on one thing. One other method to help with time
management is to make a plan for distractions. While one can have a perfect
plan to get everything done, it’s no use if one becomes distracted or is thrown
off by an unexpected event. To solve this, one should add extra time in one’s
plan in case something comes up, and one should try to minimize the
distractions around oneself. For instance, while studying phones can be distracting,
so one could power of one’s phone before studying to avoid these distractions.
One could also avoid doing homework near a television someone else is watching
so one isn’t drawn into the movie. These are just a few of many methods to help
with time management.
As one can tell, time management is more of an issue than most people think. There are several reasons for poor time management, and lack of good time management can lead to being overwhelmed, anxiety, and stress. However, these problems can all be avoided if time management methods like creating a to-do list and avoiding distractions are put into practice. One could even ask others to for help if one struggles with time management skills on one’s own. For instance, a friend could send a reminder to remind one to do something. It’s very important for everyone, to have good time management skills to lead a healthy life, and therefore people should try different methods to find a time management method that is suitable for them.
Citations
Harman, J. J.
(2014, March 13). Time Management for Students: a Psychological Explanation of
Why We Struggle. Retrieved from http://blog.online.colostate.edu/blog/online-education/time-management-for-students-a-psychological-explanation-of-why-we-struggle/White, D. M.
(2018, October 8). 6 Tips to Improve Your Time Management Skills.
Retrieved February 24, 2019, from https://psychcentral.com/lib/6-tips-to-improve-your-time-management-skills/
Top 3 Time Management
Techniques for Students | europace.org. (2016, July 10). Retrieved from https://www.europace.org/top-3-time-management-techniques-for-students/ [...]
February 18, 2019Alex's BlogMany people , at some point in their lives , hangout with people who become bad influences. When people surround themselves with bad people it often leads to bad choices. For example when someone hangs out with people who are doing drugs the chance of that person being influenced to start doing drugs increases. This type of behavior can ruin a persons life. These are the type of people to steer clear of. When someone surrounds themselves with good people this often leads to good choices. For example when someone hangs out with people who are responsible and do good things for other people the chances of that person being influenced to make these positive choices are increased. This type of behavior can create a good life for someone. These people are who someone should surround themselves with. You can either choose to surround yourself with bad influential people or good influential people, the choice is yours. [...]
February 14, 2019Alex's BlogThere are many people who suffer from verbal abuse everyday. Many of these people don’t know they are being abused because they are not being physically abused. Verbal abuse is more serious than most people realize. For example, the abuser will call the victim worthless, pathetic and many other names, and the victim doesn’t realize they are being abused because the name calling causes the victim to begin to focus on the things they believe makes themselves worthless or pathetic. This technique brings down the victims self-worth making it easier for the abuser to manipulate them. Manipulation is another technique used in verbal abuse. An example of how this is done is by moving the victim away from friends and family. This causes the victim to feel as though the abuser is all they have. By doing this, the abuser is able to make the victim rely on them for survival. This gives the abuser the opportunity to receive power over their victim. For example, the victim will be under the abusers control , if the victim does anything to make the abuser angry, the abuser then has the ability to take everything away from the victim, and everything the victim has can only supplied by the abuser. This causes the victim to feel helpless, as they do not have anywhere else to go or any way of contacting anyone for help. Verbal abuse in all keeps the victim from leaving the toxic relationship. [...]
Personal developmentis an important element of achieving
success and being happy. Not everyone who has evolved has
achieved success, but everyone who has achieved success
coaching has
developed and done a lot of work on themselves.
Personal development is on the one hand my way of life,
but also my passion and idea for good life
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out there that I’m totallly overwhelmed .. Any recommendations?
Appreciate it!
Primobolan
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https://aoj.scarp.info/how-to-setup-a-website-like-we-did/
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