A quick look at my Dropbox Camera Upload directory reveals that I take about 3-5 photos a day on average. They range from awesome to mundane, moments to remember, and moments that after a task is done, should be forgettable. But I save them all, because it’s too much work to weed through them and I don’t want to miss any golden ones. Tonight I wonder how this will change society psychologically over the next 30 years.
A Screenshot of my Camera Upload Directory
My parents have photo albums that have 10-20 photos per year in them. They are generally key moments, or at least moments when a camera with film in it was handy. There are no pictures of receipts, white boards, lunch, or random people seen in Walmart. But today we take all those types of photos, and more. And in 30 years, I might have around 1,400 photos per year = 42,000 photos that span a giant chunk of my life. What will this mean? Continue reading “Musing: What Digital Pictures Mean for Us Psychologically”
The last 10 years have seen minimalism as a movement take hold. Tips, tricks, and thoughts galore are online. One could say that the amount of how-to articles about minimalism is anything but.
With the new semester starting, I’ve had a lot of interactions with students as of late. Some are returning familiar faces, others are new faces that (in some situations) are new to college completely. They’re all undergraduates, taking 5 or so classes at one time, and many are trying to earn the highest possible grades in those classes.
The voice of the people – left for me on my office door from two students in Learning & Memory
It’s interesting to me to think about the roles and responsibilities in academia. The semester sees me shuffling from class to class, preparing lectures and activities, and of course grading. I spend several hours a week cruising around classrooms, telling jokes that my students mercifully laugh at, and making observations about my field and the material I’m presenting. In some cases I need to keep the conversation going for 75 minutes, or at the least direct attention toward an activity or video if I decide to rest my voice. I then retreat to my office, where I answer emails, respond to texts, post more bad jokes online (that my friends mercifully “like”), and grade assignments and exams. I also take time to work on research, follow-up with students and colleagues, and attend meetings.
Students have a similar routine – they move about classes, copiously write what professors like me say, download notes, skim textbooks (or even “read textbooks deeply” on occasion), and juggle requirements along with a myriad of campus activities, jobs, families, and friends.
In my mind it is debatable who has the more difficult job. For example, most of my effort is front-loaded into the semester. I can begin preparing classes months in advance if I like, where my students need to react as material is thrown at them – taking exams when I dictate, covering material that they’ve only had (in the best case scenario) 8 weeks to learn. I’ve learned the same material for over 10 years – so it’s no wonder I consider the exam questions “no brainers” – they came from my brain!
And at least when I do have to learn new material, I can fit it into my head’s schemas of information better than what my student’s face – they’re learning 5 new courses of content each semester with little to no overlap. What I learn from 3 journal articles may very easily overlap central concepts. How much overlap is there between, say, psychology and chemistry? Maybe 5%.
So I try to stay away from the easy way out – I don’t let myself think I have it harder just because I had to do 99% of the talking during the semester, or because I had to grade 50 exams whereas my students only had to take 1. It might be a long trek for me, but the path seems to be rockier for them.
Then again I may be wrong… wouldn’t be the first time! What do you think – is it harder to be a professor or a student?
My friend Christine posted this morning that it was her little girl, Michelle’s, first sleepover last night. Her daughter refers to her sleepover friend as a “friend” or “sister” and, as Christine points out “Occasionally as ‘brother’, but we’re working on pronouns”. A cute moment for sure, and it reminded me of something I bring up to people semi-regularly both in and out of the classroom: Being a kid is the hardest job you ever had, or will ever have. Here’s 6 reasons why.
I don’t watch the news. Saying that to someone will likely raise an eyebrow, especially since television is flooded with an abundance of news channels today. Growing up in northeast Ohio we had one local station that, by my count, had over a quarter of their broadcast day devoted to local news (if you’re wondering, not that much happens in Cleveland), and that was in addition to CNN and early versions of MSNBC and FOX News. It isn’t that I’m opposed to knowledge dissemination over the airways – it’s that I’m opposed to how I feel when taking in news that causes me to turn off the set. Specifically, I struggle with experiencing the wrong emotions.
A news van sits outside Columbia on March 29, 2010. I took this photo as I walked toward my building.
Anyone who cares might find it interesting to read some of my favorite quotes, now on the top of the sidebar on the right. You can read them by waiting 20 seconds for each to reload, or just look at the list below (automatically updated as I add quotes I find).
Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.
I do not feel obligated to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reasons, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.
If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them
Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.
Luck has a way of rewarding those who do not depend on it
God grant me the serenity to remember who I am
Some say life is unfair. Hey, I don’t know, I don’t care.
Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick
I speak LOUDLY, and I carry a BIGGER Stick… and I use it too
Back off man, I’m a scientist
It’s a game [baseball] you’ll hate for 5 minutes and love for 2 hours
Sheesh Vinny, what did my DVD collection ever do to you? Kick your cat or something?
It’s 3:30 in the afternoon and people are trying to sleep!
I have no idea. People who boast about their I.Q. are losers.
You’re with someone for like 2 weeks in and you’re like, F*** no way. I can’t stand this person. I’ll stay around for 5-6 years and we can end this thing violently I got time.
The only person I can be is the person I am
If society fits you comfortably enough, you call it freedom.
The ends do not justify the means. Because there are no ends, there are only means.
From there Elisha went up to Bethel. While he was on the way, some little boys came out of the city and jeered at him: “Go away, baldy; go away, baldy!” The prophet turned and saw them, and he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the children to pieces.
You know what made it easy? I never went to engineering school. I didn’t know you couldn’t do it.
My name is XXXX. There was an article you posted on your website.
http://jonwestfall.com/XXXX/XXXX
Anyway, it is not very flattering. I have been out of the job for a couple of years and have had job interviews, but when this article comes up, it is usually fatal to any job prospect.
If not too much trouble, could you please remove the article. You don’t have to do it, and i understand if you don’t, but it would help me and my family so much if you could.
Several years ago I used to post “Stupid People Alerts”, links to news articles that were examples of people acting in less-than-responsible less-than-intelligent ways. Apparently one of those articles has followed someone around, bombing their job prospects. I decided that after so many years I was fine removing the article, but as he points out, I didn’t have to (And there are still copies of the original article that I posted to out there, so his work is not done). I wish him the best of luck in finding a job, as soon as Google takes my articles out of its cache!
One of the items I collect are badges. And while I like Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) badges*, I tend to steer toward badges that are meant to give a psychological sense of authority, rather than authority granted by law. It’s the psychologist part of me that finds these ‘symbols’ intriguing. And it’s the geek part of me that was drawn to Geek Squad Badges. Recently I was able to acquire a few on eBay for reasonable prices (after stalking them for some time), and found one that didn’t look like the rest. It was a Fake!
I’ve often told others that I probably own more bags than they do, and my wife admits that I definitely own more “purses” (in the sense that purses = bags; and honestly fellow men, can we really pretend that the bag we take with us isn’t a purse?). I’ve decided to compile a gallery of bags!
My first Pacsafe backpack. Used it for a few months at Columbia, now it holds other bags!
Had to have it to match the leather, because sometimes I’m anal-retentive like that.
For longer trips, has a laptop side pocket.
Can go through security without removing the laptop!
It’s small enough for an overhead bin even on commuter planes (sometimes) and has a pull-out small canvas laptop bag. Perfect for short business trips.
I like dufflebags!
Pseudo suitcase
The 200 is a bit small for a laptop!
My first Pacsafe bag, in Black.
The first bag I ever bought for college – in August 2001 before I started at UA
an eBay steal. Almost too big for regular use though.
Christmas 2012 Gift! An awesome bag.
Not pictured…
A Windows Phone messenger bag
A green european school bag
A samsonite laptop sleeve
Skooba Sleeves in 14” and 17” sizes.
A BUNCH of smaller cases, portfolios, holsters, and pockets.
So you’re fat. How do I know that? Well because you’re reading a diet book. Well, I guess you might just want something interesting to read while on vacation, or perhaps you know me personally and are curious about this whole Diet book thing.
But I’d like to think you’re fat, because I’m fat, and we all know from pop culture that fat people are losers who like to hang out together because somehow that makes us feel better. At least skinny people think that, and we shouldn’t burst their bubble.
So seriously, we’re all fat here, and we want to lose some weight for some reason or another. Maybe we want to look better, or be able to do more, or we don’t want to die 2-4 years earlier than our skinny friends (Because some amazing things are sure to happen to us in those last 2-4 years. Presidential Elections, senior discounts, advances in fiber sciences, etc…). And at one point or another, fat people want to find something that works when it comes to weight loss. Well friends, I’m here to share an amazing secret with you – the answer is, seriously, cupcakes. Continue reading “The Cupcake Diet”
