Old People, is it that complicated?

Thank you! At least you said it, others just do it… They do not hire old people, and they have their reasons…

The other day I was asked to give my opinion about what a site, with most men, could do to more successfully promote women in the field of STEM… The thing is like; do you need to diversified or to look for talent? To treat old people, females or other minorities in some areas in a special way just make the majorities mad. I think it doesn’t matter gender, nationality, race, primary language, or age.

The minority definition it is being revised… if you are a teacher in an elementary school you certainly are not a minority if you are a female. In some industries, branches of knowledge that are mature let’s say mechanical or electrical engineering fields the seniors are the most knowledgeable ones and they are treated as what they are a fine rare kind of distilled wisdom… in the 1800’s the youngest senator was 28 considering how long people lived at that time, 40 years average, they saw it as a mature person. Today the youngest senator is 39.

How do you define an old person? Because of experience, because of age? How old you need to be in your eyes to be old? In some fields there are veterans at 35… Athletes I could think about… in the new fields being developed let’s say software or e-gaming the curve of learning is so steep that the persons who retired, mainly they feel they are totally out of  shape and obsolete in a couple of years…

For what reason do you need an old person? Do you need them for past glories? Maybe their field was wipe out!! But to know the future, you need to be back in time ♫ ;D

Seniors were the ones who created the millennia generation, the ones who gave you access to the calculators, computers, cell phones. All our wonderful new toys were given to you since you were born. An also the empowerment to create with them, because in this present time you own the world… And old seniors are very proud of this generation, they surrender to your ability to press buttons rapidly to find almost everything… :D

Instead of feeling threatened what we need to think is that we are in need of a diversified pool of brains, no matter any other issue. Go to the source of your needs and frame the job. If you do not like their clothes, just have conferences with them in the chats or hang outs, give a dress code… If you don’t like that they run to their families, or else... Establish a schedule, and social rules so they can go with you to the next boxing event or whatever you please… you are the one hiring, so you set the rules… At some levels people do incredible unusual things.

The new way for people to be hired is very interesting; you can just put it in a contest, or for bid… in the internet. The old fashion was to earn the contract in some instances, and still it is very active for very specific projects. For years, you have people being measured by the IQ tests, the EI tests, and many other tests…Also, have you seen the movie Money Ball? You have machine learn experts to tell you a very precise prediction of the behavior of the brain you need right now. Decisions measured by statistics and your intuition are the best ones. Does it matter what you've done? Or what are you doing? ♫ It depends of your age it seems, because some people value experience, others, looks, others brain power, others empathy with others, you name it… so why do you need an old person among the young ones? Sometimes is vital...

The classic titles for old executives which are still new, they are from the 80’s, with fancy names are consultants, CEO, COO, CFO, CIO… and there is a way to narrow or to enhance descriptions of  jobs… or create a new title… how about Time Line Enhancer Executive? :D

What I can see in the nearest future is that instead of humans looking for work, there are going to be set on the table for them, a variety of paid activities that required the human essence. Because most of the things are going to be done by robots… the unique treats of being human are going to be appreciated like never before, and humans nowadays are totally enhance by chemistry,  medical interventions, and so on. So, you are going to live longer. When are you going to become senior? The rule can change. Right?

One day our beloved X generation is going to be a senior and that is the thing, sometimes you need the oldies to tell you a story because Nature repeats itself and that is helpful, also; if you have different generations in your team, you look opened minded, rich in diversity, world class, humanitarian, inclusive, and that  helps to give you money to keep playing, and to show the world you own it (or at least feel like it)  ;D…

I saw the first version of the blog,  http://bhorowitz.com/2012/12/05/old-people/ was simpler, more casual, and funnier, it looks that now the blog have a team to edited and fatten it. You did it! It looks very serious, very academic, and very useful... Thank you! :D

What a CEO said... really!!!

The most interesting thing about being a CEO is that you can tell whatever and most people believed you, which sometimes it is not the best thing, like for example; the other day I read about how to be a CEO from a CEO…
One of the recommendations was to deliver bad news in a sandwich… that means
with layers of good comments and in the middle the bad news. So that
the person who is listening to the CEO does not understand the whole thing
until he gets out of your sight.
When the news are written, and everybody has received a letter from a CEO you can see the paragraphs, the first one is the good news, in the middle goes the worries, and at the end goes some kind of empathy message, or how things can change in time, or how uncertainty can be taken as hope.
In an interview, the mere mortals think about the mysterious savvy words the person said and kept analyzing for some time the secrets inside the CEO’s wisest words of the entire Universe.
I know some CEOs follow that advice, but there are others that cut all preambles and go straight to say the bad news from the beginning. Which one is best? I do not think that amazing people should follow recipes, sayings, formulas unless the person that is in front of them is not ready to digest the grandeur of the CEO and put the interview in a simple 3D approach. I think, it is the job of the CEO to get in the same tessitura of the listener. He needs to have knowledge of who is in front of him, otherwise why bother to even talked to him. Speak in his terms, in a universal understandable way. That means simple and with a neutral tone of voice. Aha!! The voice tone and the body language make the whole message. Sometimes it doesn't matter what the person is saying because the personality, the mood, the pose… can say a thousand words, and the way people emphasize the words can result in a completely different message. And that is very old school.
Almost everybody can catch emotions, attitudes, and even intentions. That is one of the reasons you can’t get personal, otherwise is a profound intrusion on the mind of the other person and it is completely disrespectful. A CEO doesn't know how he is going to interpret the words, and while there are no words everything can stay in oblivion for the sake and safe of both sides.
The blog I read is completely impersonal yet is infused with analogies that for some are going to be hilarious and for others exactly the opposite. I suppose he choose them because he wanted an impact, for me was the first. The only power of the person is that he is an almighty CEO and with that; all the power and money he posses give him credibility and a kind of immunity...
One of the most important things that a CEO has is information. It is like seeing the world from a helicopter while ordinary people is just looking from street level. The values, the views, the goals are totally different and especially the needs are in a different rank to be covered. While we are all humans and in a physical level we are the same, our brains give us ideas and claims of different order, and that is why social classes exist. The interesting part nowadays is that I knew about this CEO through the internet, that means that, like me, people is looking, analyzing, learning, comparing, contrasting and getting their own conclusions and with that, we can expect some mobility in the ancient way of societies and that is very interesting!! :D
Here is the link http://bhorowitz.com/2012/10/17/making-yourself-a-ceo/ I went to read the blog again and now it has a better format, and it is not as hilarious as it was the first time, good job! Now it is more serious, with more bullet points, and with activities to do and test. How fascinating! Thank you. :D

Uns Uns Uns music

Uns!! Uns!!! Uns!!!!

Oh!! Yeah!!! I am just dancing Gnangnam style!! Hahhahaha!! Just from the kids I heard about it… I have been in a Uns! Uns! Mode almost for a year now… It seemed I was never going to stop… and suddenly for almost 15 days now I did… I did it!!! Wow! I stopped because it was my Thanksgiving break and my adorable ones are with me. Before the Diaspora finish I am able to go back to blog to you, my dearest ones.

My Uns mode goes for more than 4 hours a day! That means that I am listening to music for a quite long time, I am listening in the car and at the gym. At the car, to pump my heart and be awake and sharp when I drive, most of the times very loud… That special way to feel the vibrations inside the car I thought it was irreplaceable, now I know that there are around there amazing headphones that DJs use that OMG!! The music waves are totally immersed inside your gray matter and your skull… They are fantastic!!! Uns! Uns! Uns!! Another kid let me tried them.

The other time I hear music is when I am running or doing weights, now that I changed my schedule at work, I discovered another dimension of the darkness on Earth. I woke up at 4:30 at dawn and get to the sports club at 5:30. At that time you see people swimming in most of the times in a pool full of fog illuminated by the inside lights of the pool and the post lamps; the scenery is magic! The sounds of the energetic splish, splash of full of force strokes is intense! After those seconds you just want to jump and run to do your workout. I just do it, now in a very neon fashion. It happened that around my neighborhood there is a new sports store and because I desperately needed to resize my wardrobe, I visited the store and with the expert advice of a kid… She told me what of the new awesome textiles were just perfect for me, and the color trend is so neon! I am wearing orange, purple, blue and black. It is so intense that it just make the mode of your workout totally different, you really focus on it and with the Uns, Uns beat you just embrace a completely and compelling full force spirit.  I hope more people change to this fashion at the gym; I know that in other fitness centers they are wearing it. The thing is that I am surrounded by guys in the senior and super senior years and the gals too; they have been wearing the same shorts and T-shirts in a very neutral palette. So, yeah… I look strikingly different.

Let’s say that you are in the treadmill for 45 minutes almost every single day  in the same room, most of the time the same people doing the same… trying to perfect your speed, your burning calories method, your pace, your rhythm… Aha! You need music…Uns, Uns is my beat; there is people that like Salsa, Cumbia, Cha Cha Cha, Pop music, Classical music… others read, some others watch TV others chat… Some people like to do very little, some are in classes following the shouting of very loud instructors… And some others are totally drench, totally pumped, totally in a high rate beat… Just like me, that is irresistible.

The way I have found very likable music for my temperament, in other words Uns, Uns music, dance music, has been in different ways, like everybody; listening to the radio stations, listening to compilations of the best of the billboards, suggestions from other people especially from kids and people from the Y generation which I adore. I have my radio app in my cell phone now… I have been searching for a long time the new trends to listen to music through the internet; I’ve tried stations, doing my own station, following sites designed for music… But what it made decide ultimately what I recommend to you or what I listen is You Tube because it is a visual experience as well, also you see the comments and how many people like it; which are indicators, very useful ones, when you are in an immense amount of wonderful music. I am very happy with my Uns, Uns music… I enjoy tremendously being in shape… and so far, very thankful because I haven’t had any sickness, any injuries, anything that had made me stop my workout; I have been able to go on a very speedy mode on the treadmill, also, to swim 6 strokes with one breath in between, and almost 1000 yards in 45 minutes… I remembered when I started, I just walked, and I just used to do pedaling with the board, one eight of the abs I do now… yeah, it has been some progress… I started to remember my wit of when I was 14 and I felt prettier than any… Especially when mankind fills you with flattery cute remarks, deep long looks, and one of a kind broad smiles. I love you! In two days I will return to my Uns, Uns workout routine. So, so good!!!

Udacity: Four New Classes!

Udacity: Four New Classes!: Technologies change quickly. While savvy companies are quick to adapt to these changes, universities are sometimes slower to react. This dis...

You nail it!!!!! Yeessss!!!! Wow!!!! OMG!!! 

Our group is going to be amazed!!!

 I am so, so, so happy!!!! XOXOXOXOXOXO Thank you!!! Wow!!! I love you, Udacity!!! Yeah!!! :D :D :D

Udacity: Udacity's How to Build a Startup: Lean LaunchPad c...

Udacity: Udacity's How to Build a Startup: Lean LaunchPad c...: Thanks very much to our students and their grassroots effort to translate our courses into different languages.  We're looking into providin...

Es un paso gigante para todos los hispanoparlantes. No solo en los paises donde se habla Español sino tambien en Estados Unidos, en Canada y en otros paises hay muchisimas personas que hablan el idioma y les va a servir muchisimo. Es una fantastica noticia!!!!

Udacity: Malala Yousafzai, Our Thoughts are with You!

Udacity: Malala Yousafzai, Our Thoughts are with You!: Malala Yousafzai lives in Pakistan.  In 2009, the Taliban regime in her region banned girls from attending school. As an eleven year old, sh...
A child has the right to be protected. A child is part of our future. This is a horrendous situation. Where are the adults fixing this? I hope Malala knows that there is people that is terrible worry about her...
Malala, little brave girls like you are made of the snow that came from the mountains of your Pakistan, and soft singing songs of the streams in the plains of your land.
Little courageous girls like you are made of the wild flowers that grow between the rocks, delicate and beautiful, strong and tenacious.
Little girls like you are amazing like the sunsets in the horizon and the snowed peaks of your landscapes. Malala there are other persons that think of you. What you have done is the heroism of a little girl that could be giggling, smiling, playing, and skipping through the woods, around the lakes, learning and thinking to ensure greater quality in the world. We are thinking of you. Malala great little girl, get well to look again to the sunshine, to feel the fresh morning dew, and to study and to search for the wisdom that is always something to treasure and a never-failing source to be better humans.

Yeah!!!! Udacity: 110000110101000000 Students!

Udacity: 110000110101000000 Students!: In the first programming quiz ever offered on Udacity, students were asked to write a program that prints the number of minutes in seven wee...
I ♥♥♥♥♥UDACITY!!!!! :D :D :D

Udacity: Sebastian Thrun: Learn. Think. Do. That's the Udac...

Udacity: Sebastian Thrun: Learn. Think. Do. That's the Udac...: "Learning results from what the student does and thinks and only from what the student does and thinks. The teacher can advance learning on...
I am so sure of what I have learned with Udacity. For me Udacity is my source of knowledge and adventure, fun and development. Thank you very much for this post. It is really comforting to know that we have the hope, the vibe, and the focus in the same pivotal clef. The honesty, fairness, and top quality of Udacity has no rival. I have been looking around, comparing and benchmarking. Udacity is the best experiment by far. It is like you are in a mirror that portraits the ability of your brain and you can molded it with the classes and then put it to work in everyday problems, challenges, anything you want. The classes have a so ready to use, top of the line approach that I have seen in every meetup, conference, seminar the urgency of hiring people with the talent that Udacity is bringing to the market. There is so much need of Udacians in the job market, and start ups. This is an experiment that brings prosperity among many other wonders; and that is amazing!!! Thank you! :D

El Verano del 2012

El Verano del 2012

Familia, Amigos;    

Este Verano ha sido especial, se ha terminado con toda clase de eventos algunos muy tristes, como la perdida de seres queridos, amigas de la infancia, conocidos cercanos… Pero tambien con cosas muy alegres y divertidas, otras intensas y llenas de energia.

Si, este Verano lo puedo definir unico no solo porque hice cosas que no habia hecho nunca, sino porque tambien hice cosas que no habia hecho en muchos años.

En particular disfrutar a mi nieto maravilloso que ya cumplio un año!!!! Pase unos dias fabulosos con el; viendo como come, como aprende a usar la cuchara, a balbucear sus primeras palabras, a dar sus primeros pasos, como hacer sonidos, saborear por primera vez los diferentes alimentos con sus variadas consistencias y texturas…

Jugamos en las albercas, los parques, las fuentes, los columpios… vibramos con las Olimpiadas… los primeros juegos, con rimas… las primeras canciones y a probar todo hasta lo no comestible… a mover la cabeza para asentir y para decir no, le encantaron los nuevos sonidos y algunas veces no tanto…Nade, rei, cante, jugue, hice musica, corri, salte con el, con mi nieto adorado!!..

Cuando ibamos de camino a SeaWorld mi hija tomo un video donde yo tengo los audifonos puestos oyendo musica y bailando sentada, si, super concentrada, pero si lo vez sin musica parece que estaba con el mal de San Vito jajajajaja luego tomo a J.R. que iba manejando super serio… a su lado estaba mi hijo con sus juegos electronicos tambien super concentrado… mi nieto dormidisimo y mi hija no le quedaba mas que ver a todos en su propio tema y se hizo una toma de su cara que  cada vez que veo el video me ataco de risa jajajaja al escribirlo, no puedo mas que desternillarme mas por lo absolutamente ridiculo del caso, el video esta perfecto, tan perfecto que es imposible que lo publique, asi que solo la reseña les puedo platicar… tal vez en un futuro cuando nos veamos se los muestre de manera especial, por lo pronto creanme que la cosa estuvo totalmente diferente a la normalidad…

En SeaWorld vimos los flamingos, los manaties, los osos polares, los pinguinos las pirañas, las tortugas, las hidras, las estrellas de mar, los mejillones las orcas, el los acrobatas del circo en el agua, las presentaciones de las nutrias y los delfines finalizando con las ballenas asesinas y disfrutando de una comida deliciosa…

Al otro dia nos fuimos a la playa a disfrutar la arena, la playa, la brisa del mar y las olas… Ahhh!! Las olas hacia mucho tiempo que no disfrutaba las olas del mar recibiendolas en saltos, chapuzones, vueltas, cabriolas. Las olas rompiendo antes de llegar a mi, despues y en medio… dias completos pase gozando en el mar, de su espuma, de su magico aroma… fascinante!!

Mi nieto y yo hicimos musica tocando el gong, el xilofono, el piano y por supuesto no podian faltar todas las cazuelas y ollas con las palas y cucharas  de Madera… jajaja de extrepito!!!

Comimos unos caldos de pollo deliciosos, totopos… guau! Se me hace agua la boca! Y si, sigo con mi dieta de sushi y ensaladas… simplemente, hoy esa fue mi comida… Y el otro dia alguien me pregunto si me restrigia de comer alimentos, ya que ha cierta edad ya no se pueden comer… quien me lo dijo fue un señor sumamente atletico y delgado, con esas facciones que parecen haber salido de la casa de un escultor, llenas de poderosos angulos… y por supuesto era una persona que hace muchisimo ejercicio… El punto es que ese dia en especial habia comido una ensalada con rebanadas de ribeye y el dia anterior unos deliciosisismos emparedados vietnamitas super famosos por aca, asi, que no me restrinjo de  nada, solo tomo precauciones… el estaba comiendo una rebanada de pizza de pepperoni con el concentradisimo aroma y se sorprendio de que yo no comiera nada, toda la gente sucumbe al olor, y no es que no me guste la pizza, es que ya habia comido… en resumen, durante el verano segui bajando de peso y hacienda ejercicio, y aun cuando no hice mi rutina, con todos los lugares que visitamos y actividades que hicimos la bascula siguio cediendo y cediendo… cuando llegue a la escuela los resultados se veian claramente no solo por que la bascula lo decia sino porque los comentarios fueron de unanimes porras y yo disfruto cada dia el haber tomado la decision de cambiar mis habitos para estar mas saludable…

Tambien visitamos Legoland, uno de mis parques favoritos, al que no voy a dedicarle sino solo estas lineas, las fotos no dicen todo pero dicen mucho de lo que disfrutamos enormemente…

Despues de un viaje a Legoland lo que hay que hacer es construir los nuevos modelos y jugar en casa con los juguetes, tambien jugamos juegos de mesa donde la victoria se escapaba hasta que despues de algunos dias termine con un primer lugar de epoca, jajaja despues, volvimos a jugar y ya no hubo tal… mmmhh seguire intentando…

Celebramos el cumpleaños de mi nieto, adelantado, porque para la fecha oficial no ibamos a estar juntos asi que tuvimos pastel para el y para mi porque tambien celebramos el mio cuando vean las fotos veran que las velas dicen numeros muy alocados jajaja fue porque no tenia el 3 jajaja …

Nuestra ultima parrillada fue  a principios de Septiembre en casa de amigos y extrene mi bikini, que tambien quedaran cerradas las fotos porque resulta que como dice mi hijo estoy tan quemada que tengo el color de una galleta de chocolate, y tengo tantas pecas que parece que tambien tengo trocitos de chocolate en lo quemado, pero he ahi que nado con un traje completo que es para nadar, sin espalda solo con unos mini tirantes pero totalmente cubierto por enfrente asi que cuando me puse el bikini estaba de dos colores por enfrente cosa que no se ve super fantastica… Ok,  tendre que emparejar el color, lo bueno es que todavia tenemos temperaturas achicharrantes por aqui, asi que hay oportunidad para emparejar el bronceado y quedar mas que super fantastica. Hubo mas eventos, de los que escribi hasta el cansancio en su momento, principalmente en Facebook, asi que no hace falta volver a mencionarlos, solo dire que fueron interesantes e intensos en algunos momentos… Ya estoy en el trabajo, y tengo muchas otras actividades increibles que les platicare mas adelante… que rapido pasa el tiempo! Que verano!! Ahh!! Fueron unas vacaciones inolvidables!!! :D

Questions for Udacity Meetup

1.-Have Udacity planned to give classes about micro machine sensors?

2. - Have Udacity planned to give classes about nano-chemistry systems?

3. - There is a new approach with bistatic radars and according to some experts, there is a way to localize anything by scattering signals from senders to receivers with the cell phones transmit technology. Do you think that can help to reduce the cost of the driverless car sensors, specifically the laser one?

4. - When do you think the driverless car can be affordable by American middle class?

5.- Do Udacity have planned to have different Challenges, Meetups, Contests, Anniversary parties or other events at different seasons of the year for the hemisferes in a consistent way?

6. - Have Udacity planned to use other languages than Python, like for example Ruby? If not, can you explain why?

7.- Have you planned to go mobile, like Udacity Mobile?

8.- Do you have planned any advertising campaing, that includes plain ads.?

9.- Have you seen the possibility of having representatives or liaisons around the world, or if you have them, are you planning to have summits, congresses or other technical gatherings around the world?

10.- Have you planned of giving some classes about programming games, have you think that Udacity can be branch out as a game; with the forums with their stories and all the anecdotes and special culture that Udacians have been developed?

Answer to a blog designed to look for flaws, where there is no such thing...

Answer to a blog designed to look for flaws, where there is no such thing...

Read the link first, so you can followed the answer :D

The Angrymath blogger wrote about Udacity Statistics 101

 http://www.angrymath.com/2012/09/udacity-statistics-101.html

He wrote:“It feels like lack of planning…” That is a completely subjective approach, everybody can feel whatever. It is a particular emotion.

Sebastian’s weight… That is very personal; a woman generally speaking doesn’t use that example. A person can use it because it is very trivial for him, and the important part is the manipulation of the numbers; or also can used it because other data can be subjected to the rigorous scrutiny of the world.

The syllabus was done by a statistician engineer not by a statistician Angrymath… so, the language is correct because it was used in a very practical way. I can tell you beautiful and pretty, and means the same. The accuracy of the syllabus depends of the point of view of the user.

Terms and symbols…they were either written or said, so what is the problem? That is why is a video that you can repeat it, and also is for people that can go to any internet search engine and go deeply in anything, if not, you have the forums. That way the class was light and fun, I was not lost in definitions. I usually emphasized the difference between the symbols we use in samples, populations, or examples because it is very important in Quality research… when you are dealing with a computer software or program that is giving you the answer no matter how much data are you dealing with the terms start blending in the software or program so that is why it does not have that much importance, the answer, for practical purposes is going to be the same.

The words that the Angrymath blogger uses are religious, cardinal sin and unforgivable, legitimate good idea, and the phrase “beauty is the enemy of expression” are philosophically extreme and in Science or Math that does not count. The ways a person communicates it is entirely personal, and that is call style, if the phrases “Be amazed…” or “…if you don’t know the answer…” are perceived differently of what it is literally said, that is being subjective, and again it does not count for further speculation. I rather be challenged with an intuitive question than to just followed the lecture, and that approach is very good for learning.

In engineering we use many data from other sources, how deep we go into them it depends always in the practical approach we want to show, or is going to be useful… if an empirical rule needs to be established, then we can do another empirical one, called it in a very loose way “magical” and nobody believes that the ancient perception of the magic term is used.

The way Sebastian Thrun developed the formula for a normal curve it is actually one of the most practical, easy to understand ways I have seen without using complex math. It is entirely practical and useful for people interested in the use of a tool no how it was made.

To blink or not to blink? What does it matter if you are going to repeat the video…. “Thrun actually does finally explain the technique…” So, he did it!!! And that is his style, a very unique way of making the class interesting; you were supposed to be puzzled!!!

Final Exam Certification… well, Mr. Angrymath can give me his grade and who cares. If Sebastian Thrun gives me a grade, excuse me!!!!! OMG!!! One of the most intelligent persons in the whole planet. I am absolutely honored.

Hucksterism can be applied to Mr. Angrymath just because of his own nickname. Most people like to be motivated and confident and that was the purpose of the cheering. Other vocabulary is just not practical worldwide. It needs to be simple and people need to use the tools.

Udacity is improving and moving itself organically to maximize the learning of their students, so the suspicions of this blogger are totally unfounded.

The summary concludes in a total reverse of a new most rewarding attempt to share knowledge. It seems that some professors are really touched and shake by the new learning style. Flexibility, adaptation and relearning should be priorities instead of hopeless attacks. New technologies, reviews of old syllabus or specific approaches could be his new religion. 

Udacity: Secondary School Challenge winners announced; More...

Udacity: Secondary School Challenge winners announced; More...: Over the summer months, students around the world have been taking Udacity classes for a chance to win an all expenses-paid trip to Silicon ...
Super congratulations!!! Team Jusix is among the ten best! We are super proud of what we accomplished. Our Summer was so much fun!!! Our leaders Julian Milosavljevic and Yunnis Ninja are the most amazing leaders I can ever imaging to have!!! Thank you to them and to Udacity for putting this together!!! It was delightful!!! :D

Does free education pay? A conversation with Mary on MOOC business models.

People use education online in very different ways. Some use it entirely to learn, others as a platform to help them to have a better job. Others use online education just to mingle around trying to decide what to do. The ones that don’t like the idea at all and feel threaten by it and just go and look for flaws in the system. The moles, that are the intentional ones, and the ones that are just saying out loud whatever they please everywhere. Other users of online education are the owners and/or associates of other institutions that have been looking at massive learning as a menace to destroy their own training services business and the competition. Well, that is the market... How to convince them that this is an enormous effort that needs everybody involvement, participation and will? How to make them realize that is a win-win situation with prosperity and gain for everybody? Sometimes people see only one part of a situation instead of looking at the whole transformation of a system… How dare you to threat well established institutions? One thing that is totally favorable is that many excellent universities are having an online model; with the hope that they are going to be recognized as equal as the traditional certification of knowledge. The thing is that we cannot have a better world if we don’t have educated people. How can we have a critical mass of humanity going in the right direction, taking the right decisions, doing the correct activities and make money with it? It is already perfectly established that for the students is free or almost free. There is going to be a head-hunter situation and kind of an employment agency to have revenues. There are online shops with memorabilia with logos of the institutions for fans. There is going to be special contracts with firms that required special training. Also worldwide renowned universities that are participating are going to have agreements with other universities or branch out the online model in different continents. So, what else? There are online students that are using the online classes to get better grades in the institutions they are studying, so that goes underground. How about the persons that are going to continue their entrepreneurship and use the knowledge acquired for their solely benefit; that is another absolutely one side free benefit. How about countries where the black market is a mayor way of living and they are going to copy, use, translate, make profit of the knowledge that is shared. That is another way of not getting pay for the efforts and it can also destroy the good will of some people. I think negotiations, talks, agreements, tailored contracts, and advertisement need to be involved. I rather have in the side of ads of my Facebook full of things that I like and promoting permanently my online school than other institutions that are already there just annoying me. Or in all the other sites I participate. Why are people so reluctant to advertise? Like Pinterest, that is a site that could easily sell the pins… which is already happening but with many steps to follow and to search for. Ads can be very muted or not, I would like to choose from a set of different styles of adds of the brands that I like than to have imposed things that I don’t even care about. And that is a completely change of structure of how online marketing is imploding in the costumers instead of showing off and promote brands. I know there are some people doing that already and they get paid, because they need to write or do something that involves the promoted brand. I think it should be the option for everybody to choose what is going to be done with the ads that are in their sites without further compromise or not.

Other thing that it needs to be accurate is if a real living person is using the online services which can be corroborated with many tools, and it is happening right now.

 In a final thought I would like to share with you, that, the other day I was listening a TED talk about how other online educational institution is doing. The talk was informative, but at the end the way that people reacted was totally uniform in a matter of seconds which only you have that kind of reaction if people is going just to pledge adherence?! To move crowds, to be in tempo with the masses is a talent that needs to be cultivated by online educational institutions. To inform people, to send news, to prepare events is something that gives the character of any school, to feel the alma matter  can move mountains and make prosperous agreements.

Saying good bye to a dear friend...

To Natalia;

Why does she need to go? I just realized how much I want her to stay. Just to know that she was here and that we could talk and share some of our best moments as two persons can share friendship, has been absolutely rewarding!

Everything started more than two decades ago. I was in a breakfast with all the moms for our kindergarteners, two sits were still empty, and suddenly at the same time two absolutely awesome visions enter the room. The first one was a Japanese- Mexican girl with and outstanding red dress that contrasted perfectly with her, and pointed out a very sophisticated hair cut. One side shorter than the other, with bangs; super black, super shiny and she was very elegant and witty. And behind her was another girl in red too but her dress was floating in the room like it had a special air making it float, absolutely majestic she had long blond hair and her blue eyes were radiant and happy, she was pushing a stroller. They both sat down and introduced themselves and it was an instant click… after that, the three of us plus another friend had wonderful times and shared all the elementary school phase of our kids together. The birthday’s parties, the events in the school, and our fabulous searching of nice restaurants to have breakfast indulging ourselves with great conversations, superb food, and lovely ambiences was pure happy life. Ah! Those good old days!!

Memories come to me in a kaleidoscope of events. Once my friend and I worked together in an educational project with great success, today we want to revamp it. We finished it for the moment but a project can have other steps if you have a vision for that, so that is a good thing, it does not matter the distance, we still can work together… The incredible thing is that we also stayed for long periods of time at the same time in the same countries which it is almost impossible for two friends, in each of the countries we visited icons of culture and had many intellectual adventures. We saw our families grow, mature and made their own families; we still are in the last part of that, so interesting!

She paints; I can actually make a book describing her paintings that are fresh and cozy at the same time. Her paintings are precise and accurate, with depth and composition that can give you an entire message of occasional beauty. Indeed, she has wonderful works of art not only on canvas but in her entire house… You can walk to one room and be surrounded by beautiful dinosaurs in a checkers ground like. It is like floating in a fantasy with a super comforting feeling, and the special thing is that who knew that a theme of dinosaurs can be so compellingly adequate for a bedroom. Another room is the kitchen full of Arab writing in a welcome way only in the cornices and balustrades in a very delicate calligraphy, yet with vibrant colors. Yes, just writings, still, with a powerful presence of a dynamic center of the delicacies’ lab. Because that is what a kitchen is. Why do you want to go to a kitchen if you are not going to indulge yourself or others? That is the way we share our vision of preparing food… and guess what.. She cooks exquisite! How am I not going to miss her?…

In a turn of events she needs to switch countries again, and that, my friends require strength, lots of it.

She writes, she is a web designer, she dances and bikes, she can make an astonishing dress from scratch… If you ask me if I admire her, the answer is Yess!!! She is my friend, and I am going to miss her enormously, but I know that there is no distance that could, or can take us apart because a true friendship is sealed in the stars and ours is a beautiful constellation!! Have a nice wonderful journey my dearest friend, and luckily one day we may share our time together again!!!♥

Udacity: Colo. State University Global Campus offers credit...

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Nice! Super Congratulations!!! :D

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Udacity: Where are the top 10 international Meetup communit...: With just two weeks left before Udacity's first ever Global Meetup Event, over 400 Meetup communities have already organized, many of which ...


Having a Global Meet up we are a lot of people!!! So much fun!! :D always interesting, exciting, wonderful and amazing!! Yeah!! :D

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When people don't understand some things about Education Online

A person took a class at Udacity just to try to confirm something very strange, here is the link and my answer:

http://ow.ly/cWtIg

David, you decided to become a professor because its employment projections. Have you ever wonder if those are correct? Do you know how they are made? If you know statistics you could be very aware of their validity, take a course at Udacity and compare them, there is nothing scarier than find out that you put your future in the wrong place.

Only 10 institutions delivering higher education in the whole world are an astounding result of human effort, and the advance of technology. You have seen in your History class that jobs evolve as technology does, so there is an amazing job for you where you can express your talents in the future.

You took CS101. So where is your project? Did you build a Search Engine, because that was the purpose, if not, your class is there for you to retake it, revisited and check the forums to see the new comments, the new ideas, the creativity at work.

What do you mean by cheating? I have seen young people very uncomfortable because they can break the traditional system and cheat blatantly and they feel that there is no confidence if they can break the rules, for them the system is weak. Change the parameters and you don’t need to cheat, you need to learn and have solid knowledge to apply it and create!

Do you want to shine? Just do it and show it to the world! How? Check the Social Networks class it is the key to reach your audiences, where? At Udacity.

Do you know that your resume nowadays is read by machines that look in words to be filtered? The letter of recommendations are done or read by the idiosyncrasy of one person at a specific moment which can be not to your advantage, and maybe nobody is going to read.

Define weird people? Have you seen the Olympics? What kind of humans are you going to named weird? The tallest, the strongest, the tiny? Have you gone to the cirque? Define weird? The flexible ones? Have you been at Google? Apple? Wall mart? Have you seen a movie? Define weird. It is just your perception of reality, and your scary thoughts that make you write in a very weird way. The tie and the suit is a very old fashion, and it is portrayed in some music bands as something funny that once existed. Which one is your favorite outfit? Imaging that you can wear it every time you want, it is not a bad idea. It is being good with yourself and grants you to free your unique personality.

Computers can grade learning and that is what we are talking about. Learning concepts that give you the tools to do things, any. Have you tried to learn a language online? You learn with a machine, one of the best things to shine with your new skill is if people read your written work. Not if it’s graded.

Do you have the ability to make money? The amount of money you have is a reflection of your abilities and how you portrayed them to the world. How do you know Udacity is combating cheating? You are assuming that. The way we learn, the way we educate is a different concept at Udacity, the advantages of knowledge are very powerful, for example when you share it, you don’t lose it, you spread it. This is not war; we don’t need to be aware. We need to understand, and learn. We need to evolve and have a mankind more capable to understand themselves.

Drop outs in online classes

The Drop-outs!!!

The great argument, the huge worry, the reason why.... I don't think so... In other forums my attention has been redirected to some talks about drop outs in online classes... So, here are some thoughts....

Online courses have had high rates of drop-out no matter if they pay or not for them, or any other circumstance, occurrence. Natural disaster, you name it... It is hard. You are not in contact with humans. You see people in the past. They are not with you. We are fragile; our human nature needs to exercise all their senses to communicate, and to feel the entire experience of learning. I have hearing some comments about persons thinking that the computer voice is actually a real person talking to them when they learn a language and having feelings for the computer voice. Yes, it is deceptive if you are looking for human contact. To isolate your brain and accept knowledge in its pure form takes time and self training, if you are used to read, study, or listen to audio books by yourself it is easier. It is like training people to drive cars for the first time, it took time, and a whole support system to develop humanity capable of detached themselves from the technologies before the cars. The answer you know it. It is going to take time and the ability with real inventiveness to move entire societies to this new way of learning. That is why we need a robot to follow the learning experience of every single student, and to catch up with our natural detachment from the learning machine. The technology is there. Udacity is putting it together. Have you noticed it? It is all around you, the messages, the forums, the announcements, the meet ups, the challenges. I know there is people that has been evaluating this in other ways than the expected, and that is because values, and culture differs from the main idea of Udacity, and also because  it is an experiment with incredible results right now that needs to be adjusted as it evolves. I have seen other online things going on, and clearly for me they have not  what Udacity has, but that is another theme to talk about.

Being Grumpy…

Being grumpy when your environment is changing and your routines are challenged is normal; everybody wants a peaceful invariant set of rules, traditions to follow, in person reassurance. I agree with you, sometimes when you sign to an online course seems really impersonal. Where am I? How come a person is just saying something without looking at me, at my reactions? So impersonal, but nowadays we need to do things in a very impersonal way, like buying clothes online… There is nobody telling you, wow! You look fantastic, but then you interact with people, you know that your online buying has an effect. It is the same with education; you know the effect of your learning, and knowledge, when you take decisions, when you get a job, when you create!
Are you worried about the drop-out rates? I encourage you to take a statistics class at Udacity, so you can measure, correlate, and have an ample perspective of a normal phenomenon.
Start with an experiment is the way science has advanced. So what is wrong with the word experiment? The freedom to stay in a class or to leave is linked to the survival state of a person, we have known of people struggling war, pregnancies, isolation, and many other extreme circumstances, while taking an online class that makes entirely successful the idea that free online education is there for humanity, it gives hope and confidence… It is for you at any time, and whenever you can.
What is the purpose of learning? Have you accomplished your dream job? Do you think that you need to improve your intellectual acumen? There are many fast ways to know if a person is learning, like quizzes, and so on. At the end of each course in Udacity and in Coursera you fill a questionnaire. So they are asking, they know your score, and maybe they know how you are learning. And that is personal, very personal. Change is scary but Nature changes. Don’t worry and embrace the change, at no charge
And BTW there are specific causes for drop outs in traditional education institutions, but that is another theme to give it a thought some other time.

Social Networks. Why am I studying that?

Social Networks. Why am I studying that?

Why am I studying Statistics?

Why am I studying Statistics?

The Challenge still ON!!!!!! You are invited!!!

Julian Milosavljevic

Aug 3, 2012 - Public

Team Jusix is going into the last weeks of the #Udacity Highschool Challenge and right now we're the 19th biggest team in the world! Also now we're looking for motivated and smart new members of all ages who want to join us. Just enter this link to join: http://www.udacity.com/hschallenge/team/join/agpzfnVkYWNpdHl1cgwLEgRVc2VyGK_daww
For more information visit http://www.udacity.com/hschallenge/
Check also out our Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/332196263522707/
Have a nice time and share the post ;)

Udacity - 21st Century University »

FOSS-GeeK: I got a job! Thanks to Udacity!

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To win a Heart, to win a T-shirt

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D A T A

Collecting data is the thing  this time, the more data you have, the more powerful you look to others. Information is a very useful thing. It is like a miracle fertilizer for business. How do you reach your clients, how do you find friends? How do you find your treasures, or your bargains? How do you find your ambiance, your mood like place, site? How and what do you learn? For what?
 Google has its searching machine and it is 10 times bigger than Facebook. But Facebook has 900 million members with tons of data of  people. We can see data business blooming, the trade of edata has begun, not recently but it seems like it is in vogue now. How the big collectors of data businesses are going to use the public data, or kept the private, private? It looks like all contenders are in their marks ready to sprint for a race of huge proportions. I read three articles about the same topic. One from technology review from MIT about Facebook, another from Scientific American about  Artificial intelligence. Also one from Gabriel Weinberg's Blog: Moving the needle. And one from Udacity... all of them talked about data.
The big questions are how is Facebook going to use all data to improve advertisements without upsetting users and regulators? Google had already deal with the same questions. People is talking about the powerful tools of Artificial Intelligence to manipulate large quantity of data if you have it or have access to it. Others give you the critical steps to build your own search engine or Internet business and the tools to use specific data. The pioneers in massive education are talking about how people acquired knowledge, in other words organized data in the human mind that is going to produce new data. This last one is the most innovative.
The Like button, the search browser, the specially custom site for you, the sophisticated one that is willing to give you extra super useful information with good taste or scandalous flavor. All of them marvelous practical things we are using and relying on them.
Are we going to be able to predict trends, originate changes, promote good causes, be really informed? Or are we going to be manipulated, summoned, carry on, extrapolate to extremes? The engineers, the scientists, the mathematicians, the statiscians, the computer savvy are the ones with that power... no the politicians, or the religions, or the philosophers like in past times. So it is time for the other side of the hard core thinkers to make humanity to evolve.
Even now, just writing  blogs, uploading images, sharing music, watching videos, voting, posting coments, sharing email without direct intent all of us are promoting the ideas mentioned in the articles, there is people that don't realize that every time we communicate, we are advertising something or someone. Sometimes when people realized that; they don't like it. The social nature of humans make us be in a constant state of communication or socializing, it is part of us. We trade every single time. We are social entities that even with our appearance we are saying something. Now the data is there, we are able to make learning machines that are going to give us the target with all the accuracy, with all the precision to reach anything we want.

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Prepare for the future. An idea...

Usually Kids communicate and learn from peers and their environment. With the state of communications and gadgets to our reach, kids also have the opportunity to learn from experts... In airports you can see children so young and little that they barely reach the height of the screens to use the Internet in the terminals to look for their favorite games, they don't care, they just do it. There are kids that are going to expend their vacation time learning in summer activities. The expansion of technology has enabled the expansion of our intelligence in an exponential rate. We educate people to learn how to solve problems and that is something that can last a lifetime.
If we learn a technique but not the source of it, we are dependent of the changes, and updates of it. If we learn how to develop any kind of technique then we are educating people. There are nowadays a myriad of opportunities of education and we enthusiastically engaged in activities that give us knowledge, because is better for us, because we can do our activities faster and easier so we are already the perpetual learners. With all the gadgets and products that we need to ensemble, connect, articulate, start up. With all the instructions to follow; we spend a big part of our time looking for the habilitation of processes, services, gizmos... It is easier if we know the natural laws that govern the behavior of things. A good thing is that in the long term we have been able to shrink the costs of nobel technology to reach the masses. If we measure technology only in dollars, we are missing the benefits in time that we are going to obtain. Economy is not only measure in dollars, it also has the intangible quality of the benefit reachable to anyone; so, the way we measure knowledge has to include its reliability, retention time, and ease of evolution. Let's say we are learning to program in the Internet, and we choose a programming language, but in time, developers come with another language... if we learned the logic, the critical thinking, the math, the way the structure of the language is built, we can learn the next language easily... Let's say we know lots of programming languages but we don't do applications...how many lines of code are you assuming you need to do in order to understand and learn a language? Are those the right questions to develop a curriculum for a professional programmer? In other words, how many books do you need to read to be a writer? Or how many times do you need to practice you penmanship to write a story? Usually, what happens is that a person, any age, has an idea; could be a software application... to build it, to develop it has so profound meaning that an entrepreneur is born because the passion of that idea leads a person to high pursuits... and a dream come true for the common good of mankind.