Cash for clunkers

This one, once again, comes courtesy of my sister's boyfriend. One of us has way too much time on their hands...

"Investment: $1,000,000,000
Cars Sold: 240,000 cars
Avg. MPG Increase: 9.62 mpg (from 15.78 to 25.4 mpg)
Avg. Miles Driven Per year: 12,000

240,000*9.6 = 2,304,000 effective mpg increase
12,000/25.4mpg = 472.45 gallons/yr after per car
12,000/15.78mpg = 760.46 gallons/yr before per car

113,385,827 total gallons used per year after
182,510,400 total gallons used per year before

69,124,573 total gallons difference per year

Average Car Life: 5 years
Gallons Saved (5 years): 345,622,865
Gov't Cost Per Gallon Saved: $2.89"

Pretty cool, huh? I also like how the government is essentially paying market price for a gallon of premium gasoline per gallon saved (here in Mass. anyway).

See kids? Isn't math fun?

Edit: Oh yeah, and the source for those numbers
http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/04/autos/cash_for_clunkers_cars/index.htm
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1914367,00.html

This is great...

I know I've been a massive delinquent in posting, but two internships keeps you kind of busy.

Anyway, something interesting for you science buffs out there. This comes from an email chain I had with my sister's boyfriend about the merits of shutting off your computer when it's not in use:

"I just did a quick calculation (hey I'm an engineer!)

Pretend I leave my comp on for an entire month without shutting if off:
24 hours/day x 30 days = 720 hours/month

Now pretend I keep my comp on every weeknight for 5 hours (7pm-12am) and 10 hours every weekend day which is probably way more than I would actually do in real life:
(5 hours/day x 22 days) + (10 hours/day x 8 days) = 190 hours/month

Well my beastly computer probably uses about 250 Watts of power on standby, more when in use, so we'll use a conservative estimate of 0.250 KiloWatts.

Always on: 0.250 KW x 720 hours = 180 kilowatt hours/month (2160 KW/year)
On/Off: 0.250 KW x 190 hours = 47.5 kilowatt hours/month (570 KW/year)

Now lets assume all Americans are just like me (~300,000,000) and that 1 in 8 own a computer (37,500,000).

Nationwide Always on: 81,000,000,000 KWH or 81 Gigawatt hours
Nationwide On/off: 21,375,000,000 KWH or 21.375 Gigawatt hours

Just think what we could do with all the excess power! We could send Marty back 2 the future 65 more times (@ 1.21 Gigawatts)!

Well that was a fun little break."

A fun break, indeed. My co-workers must think I'm a psycho with how much I was smiling when I read that!

W(eather)TF???

Hey everyone!





Before I post my views on last week's topic of censorship, I just wanted to ask one question: WTF is going on with our weather?!?!?!?!

And that's just the FIRST half of our forecast! It goes on for another three days like that! What the hell?

At this point, I'd normally launch into a diatribe about global warming, climate change, and all that, but I think we all know whose fault this is.

Canada. And their stupid cold fronts.

Curse you, you hose-headed freaks! Give me back my summer!

(P.S. I kid Canada. It's a lovely country with great beer and...lumber. But seriously, quit dicking around with the weather and give me a few days of sun so that I can enjoy my break)

*Bleep!

Hey all!

Today I feel like ruminating a bit, so instead of an advice post, I'm going to share my opinion with you on another interesting topic. This time? Censorship.

My friends over at Zookah! and I were discussing our favorite Family Guy episodes the other day (Over a lovely bowl of Tangiers Orange Soda shisha, check out their review), and for those of you who know the series "P-TV" is sure to ring a bell. The episode essentially revolves around the FCC censoring people's daily lives for "innappropriate" content. Earlier today I thought of the South Park movie, where one of the characters has a device installed in him that shocks him (like a dog collar) every time he swears (which is A LOT). Put those two together, and my mind clicks in its typical, nonsensical way.

Censorship is a very hot topic these days. What can you say/do on T.V.? What websites can you look at while you're at work? What's the definition of "objectable content?" Who's responsibility should it be to enforce or censor this content? The list goes on.

Most of these topics could be (and are) debated for hours on end, so I'm not going to get into each one specifically. Instead, simply consider the issues above as examples of problems with censorship as a whole. I find one of the biggest issues with the, um, issue is that the entire current approach is remarkably subjective. Everyone has their own feelings as to what offends them and what doesn't, and the debate ends up entirely dependent on the question "Who best knows what's best for you? Who...best...yeah!" So, instead of getting bogged down by this obstacle, lets flip it on its head and use it. Consider the following thought experiment:

Let's say that researchers have recently made a breakthrough in neuroscience and computer technology that allows a small chip to be implanted into one's brain (This is a thought experiment, bear with me). This chip can be programmed to do a number of things, for example, it could constantly monitor the intricate details of a person's biology and regulate hormone and chemical levels in the body for people who have neurochemical imbalances that their body can't correct on its own.

However (still in thought experiment mode), many researchers and advocacy groups are particularly interested in its ability to block certain types of messages to certain areas of the brain. This feature could, some theorize, be used to block the type of brainwaves associated with the feelings of shock, disgust and horror. Not only that, but the device and alter the brain patterns so that the brain never registers the source of those feelings at all--in effect editing out objectionable content and censoring real life.

Take a couple of moments to suspend your disbelief and just consider the potential implications of such a device and what its impact could be on our lives and our culture as a whole.

Done?

Good. So, aside from the glaring flaws in the practical application of such a device (we can get away with that, though, in our imaginations), we see what could be the perfect system for censoring objectionable content. If people find different things offensive to varying degrees, why continue extrapolating the sensitivity level of the masses when you can leave it up to them what they do or do not feel comfortable seeing? Those who are mentally capable can live as uncensored a life as they want, while parents can feel safe knowing that their children are not being exposed to offensive material until they're ready.

So, before I post my thoughts on the matter, I figured I'd throw this question out there to you. What are your opinions on this? Would this benefit society overall, to have such an ability, or would it serve to our detriment? Would you use it? Would you have your kids (either your actual or future) use it? What kind of limitations or features would you expect a device like this to have?

And, remember, think about the children(or not)!

Final-ly

Hey out there.

I know I haven't updated in a while, but as you might expect the terror known as final exams take up a lot of time. And energy. And brainpower. So needless to say my head has been too busy contemplating Long-Run Average Total Cost curves and the IS-LM model than anything fun that I'd rather be thinking of. But it's done, and I'm back to share a piece of my mind with you.

I know we over at Bentley have our exams a bit earlier than the rest of the college-going world, and that you're all likely slaving away over them now. Since I survived my third year (sixth semester) at Bentley, I thought I'd share some of my secrets to success.

1. Make a plan, and stick to it. What possibly helped me the most through my finals was good time management, which can make or break an exam period. Put together a schedule for when you are going to study, when you are going to write that paper, and when you are going to tear yourself away from the books long enough to pretend to eat something. Use Outlook, a spreadsheet, a scribbled napkin from the dining hall, anything, but stick to your schedule.
2. Break up your time. If you focus on one subject for too long, you can lose your ability to retain information. It's like driving on the highway for hours upon hours: you get hypnotized by the road, stop paying attention, miss your exit and wind up in Rhode Island instead of on the Cape. Take a break and work on something else if you feel yourself starting to lose focus, then come back and test yourself on what you have already studied before you continue on to new things.
3. DO THE WORK. If you're having trouble focusing, move to a place with fewer distractions. Your common room where your roommate is celebrating the completion of his finance project with a bottle of Svedka and a rampage on Grand Theft Auto is not a healthy study environment. Try the library, or another quiet location. If you're like me and have to hop yourself up on antihistimines just to open your eyes, do some exercise to clear the fog away so you can focus.
4. Reward yourself. Reach an important milestone in that Government paper? Give yourself a treat! Take some time out of the day to do something you enjoy. Grab the controller from your drunken roommate after he gets lit up in a GTA gang war, go toss the frisbee around, anything that's going to destress you.
5. Finally, look down the road. Think about it, you are going to be out of there in a few days/weeks/phases of the moon, off on break (hopefully) doing things you want to do. Start with thinking about where you'll be at the end of today once you get everything done on your schedule (you made one, right?), and go from there. If you're dilligent about it, looking back on your accomplishments is a huge confidence booster, and can be enough to get you through another day.

Those five little tips have helped me tremendously. Prioritize and plan, break up your work, DO the work, reward yourself, and keep an eye on the finish line. Hang in there, and you'll be done before you know it.

...Sometimes good.

Since my last post, I've managed to line up three interviews! Coincidence? Lucky timing? Or am I just that good? Questions for later, I suppose.

Anyway, the companies that I'll be meeting with are:

BzzAgent-A Word-of-Mouth marketing agency, where everyday people can sign up to try out a product and spread "buzz" or word of mouth opinion to their friends and families.

Racepoint Group-A PR company that specializes digital media relations, or the interactions of firms with consumers in the online space.

Opinion Dynamics Corporation-A market research firm with an ear in many different industries, who also handles polling for Fox News and political opinion research.

I have to say, though, that none of these interviews would be possible without the help and keen eye of my sister, Stephanie. She works in the analytics department of a major marketing firm, and has helped me make some inroads and contacts in the industry. As we're so fond of saying here at Bentley, it's not what you know, it's who you know.

Steph has a tremendous penchant for proofreading and a love for helping others. She's currently a mentor for YearUp and is a writing coach for the Posse Foundation. Check these places out if you need some help or if you're looking for some great places to volunteer.

All life is sales

After I wrote my post on luck last week, I made the realization that I could be doing a lot more to help improve my own luck through confidence, and that I should practice a little bit more of what I preach. After all, my hatred for hypocrisy knows no bounds, and what good is social philosophy if you don't put it into practice?

Anyway, being a college junior trying to get an internship in this economy had put me into a bit of a rut. It was like suddenly being back in high school, waiting for my college acceptance (or rejection) letters to come through. I had almost gone crazy then, and I could tell I was heading down that road again. I'm the type of person where if I don't like the way things are going, I find a way to change them in any way possible, and I hated the thought that my internship decisions seemed out of my hands. Two internship rejections later, I felt the impetus for change hit me like a sack of overpriced textbooks.

Selling yourself (not in that way):

So when Mandy (who made our lovely logo) called and wanted to hit up a seminar entitled "Recession-proofing your Job Search" presented by Eric Barron Live (who you can find online here: http://www.ericbarronlive.com/), I jumped at the chance, especially when I found out they were raffling off Sox tickets for the next day's game. I may be just a wee bit obsessed, but whatever, it was another reason to go. I'm glad I did, because his philosophy mirrored so much of what I had written on luck the week before I was sure he had to be a reader (I flatter myself WAY too much).

I'm not going to repeat all of what he said, but he made a few points that really stuck with me. Even in the recession, he said, people are always hiring, always looking to upgrade. It all comes down to how well we can demonstrate our key attributes as benefits to the company. Content, he said, is not as important as presentation. He rammed home the necessity to turn your skills into stories of your accomplishments, and turn those into ways you can benefit the company. If you can make them enthusiastic about your potential contributions, you win.

Sometimes lucky, mostly just good:

This sort of self-responsible view of the application process made me think of last week's post. Here, if you are confident in how you present yourself, you are leaving less and less to "chance" and more in your (confidently capable) hands. Here, you're making it happen, and if you have confidence in yourself, you will succeed.

P.S. Anyone struggling in their job search should definitely check out Eric Barron. He's got a very high energy and involved approach to showing you how everything you know about getting a job is wrong, and how to fix it.

 

WE HAVE A LOGO!!!!

Thanks to the tremendous artistic talent of my friend Mandy, we now have a logo!!! Damn, she's good...

If anyone needs any graphic design work done, contact me and I'll put you in touch with her. Trust me, she's got skills.

Keep your eyes open for the next Dash!

Quick note...

For those who care to know, anonymous comment posting has been enabled! You no longer need a Google account to leave a comment, so any readers who want to call me out can now do so without fear of retribution. But, really, I'm a peaceful guy...

Cheers!

In my experience, there's no such thing...

Welcome to the first Dash! See, I told you I was going to do it!

With our society facing such dire straits at the moment, I've decided to make this first Dash about luck and fortune, and about how our attitude influences both. Just in a bit of disclaimer, my observations and assumptions are in no way empirical, but are rather based on my own experiences, opinions, and the twisted wanderings of my mind, and are in no way meant to be considered conclusive proof or evidence of any one viewpoint and should not be internalized by anyone.

Without further ado...

Lucky!

We all know those people: The ones who seem to have success and opportunity plopped right into their laps. They're lucky. They turn the corner and find that $50 bill on the ground, or find the perfect job in just one try, or step out into the street and inadvertently take a bullet for the President, become a famous hero and live life in fortune and fame until all eternity...

Ok, extreme example, but we all know them. They're the "lucky" ones. Good things always happen to them, and we all want to be that guy.

In contrast, we all also know those other people, who despite their best efforts and their hardest work, can't seem to score a win, who are, as the British are so fond of saying, "Unlucky." Their $50 bill drops out of their pocket while they're going to pay their power bill, they get just barely edged out of a job that they're perfectly qualified for by someone who is just slightly that much better of a fit, or they find a man about to assassinate the President, try to stop him, and end up getting arrested for it, living the rest of their lives in despair and misery.

Once more, an extreme example, but there are some people who just seem to have the worst luck. Things never seem to quite work out for them. In between those two extremes are the normal people, whose lives can swing from one pole to the other like a teeter-totter.

So, what causes this apparent inequity of luck? Why do some people seem to have so much more than others? In one way or another, man has tried to answer this question time and time again across the ages. Theologians argue that the most pious among us are the lucky ones, for surely God smiles down upon their endeavors, while the unlucky are the sinners, or the ones God is testing to determine the sincerity of their faith. Spiritualists will argue the existence of karma, and how good deeds and bad deeds will eventually return to us in one form or another. The superstitious will speak of lucky charms, positive energy, and taboo activities ("Don't say 'no-hitter', man! Now he'll never get one!"). Others still argue that luck is all about affirmation, that positive thinking will see returns in everyday life, while pessimistic thinking will cast the world in an upsetting light, making every event a tragedy.

With all these theories, and countless more that I'm omitting (I'm sorry, Pastafarians, but I just don't have the time or inclination to look up your views), we ask the perennial question: Which one is right? Should I go around praying all day, or is a good turn enough? Should I carry around a rabbit's foot, or is just thinking of sunshine and puppies going to improve my odds of getting lucky? As with most things in life, they are all right, and they are all wrong. There is no one correct model.

Of course, you wouldn't be here if you were to just accept that answer, and just saying "It's complicated" is a cop-out (listen up, Facebook). So, what is luck all about?

In my mind, all of the above share one common trait: Confidence. Don't believe me? Take a moment to visualize the luckiest person you know, and right next to them the unluckiest. Take as long as you like, I'm not going anywhere.

...

Ready? No? Ok, a couple of more seconds.

...

So what do they look like? In my mind, The Lucky are standing upright, wearing a smile and wear clothes that make them stand out. Their eyes are full of energy, and they have no problem going up and talking to you about just about anything in a clear and exciting manner. They're happy, unafraid, and they want to make you feel the same way.

The Unlucky, on the other hand, keep their heads down and shoulders hunched, as though walking with a heavy weight on their backs (a physical manifestation of their psychological state, perhaps?). They wear a persistent preoccupied frown, like their thoughts are miles away, focused on more pressing issues. They're wearing dark and unobtrusive clothing and look like they want to slip away and be out of the spotlight. They mumble when they talk, and see any interaction as another potential relationship to screw up. They're tremendously unsure of themselves, and their efforts to avoid conversation show.

I don't know about you, but my reaction to each person is very different. Subconsciously, we read the body language and appearance of others and make judgments about them before we even meet them. The Lucky exude confidence and are very open: you want to talk to them and you're happy that they want to talk to you, and so the conversation goes well. The Unlucky, however, are very closed and standoffish, even if they don't mean to be. This is off-putting, and the conversation is uncomfortable, which makes the unlucky person feel even worse, perpetuating the cycle.

Of course, this is just my experience, and I could be missing the mark completely, but to me this is a perfect example of how confidence plays on the psyche, making us feel lucky or unlucky. On a more macro scale, our level of confidence determines how we react to encounters and situations.

Let's take another, more concrete example: Both a Lucky person and an Unlucky person can't find their phone (the lucky aren't perfect, they lose stuff too). So what does a Lucky do? Sure, it's aggravating and inconvenient, but they know it must be around somewhere, and they look for it and find it ("Phew, lucky I found my phone!"), and the perception of good fortune continues. On the other hand, an Unlucky panics. "It has to be around somewhere! I can't have lost it!" they say, expressing doubt that the phone is even findable by verbally affirming to themselves that it is. They see this event as yet another item in a long string of unfortunate events ("Why does this stuff always happen to me?"), and the perception of misfortune continues. This is reflective of a process most of us call "streaking."

Not like that, nutball, put your clothes back on! The internet doesn't want to see any more of that.

I mean what are called "lucky streaks" or "unlucky streaks", which, to me, are a series of events who’s positive or negative outcome depend entirely on the attitude of the participant. If a person experiences a chain of events that they perceive as positive, then they are on a lucky streak. If that same set of events is construed as negative, however, it is considered to be an unlucky streak. In my mind, it depends largely on your perception of your ability to cope with these events. If you're confident, you know you can adapt to a situation, then usually you do. Confident people see every problem as an opportunity in disguise. If you lack confidence, however, you may doubt your ability to get through a situation. As a result, failure becomes that much larger of a possibility, which can cause a further loss of confidence etc.

In the end, since we all want to be confident, lucky people, how do we go about increasing our confidence. This answer is sort of a cop-out, but by doing anything that makes you feel more confident and sure of yourself, you will put yourself in a confident frame of mind for tackling challenges that you are less certain of. To use the examples way the hell back up there, if praying to God makes you feel more confident, you will feel more confident. If believing in Karma and good turns, or rabbit's feet, or in the power of positive thinking raises your confidence level, then you will feel more confident and respond to challenges better.

After reading all of this, you probably get the sense that I believe that you create your own luck. I do, wholeheartedly and absolutely, but that doesn't mean that I don't believe that truly unfortunate or lucky things don't happen to people, or that things don't happen for a reason. But issues of fate and self-determination are topics for another post, and don't think that just because I don't believe in superstition's impact on luck that I'm not going to sit in the same position all throughout a Red Sox game in hopes that my positive energy continues a hitting streak. Hey, as long as it boosts confidence...

P.S. Did I completely miss the mark, leave out or not address a crucial argument, or am I just completely insane? Don't let me get away with it! Reply to this post and leave your own thoughts! Remember, the internet is counting on you!

Spin Cycle

So, this is it. I've finally decided to write a blog. Funny, I used to think all bloggers were narcissists.

It's not that I think that my thoughts are so profound that it is my duty share my opinions with the world. Quite the opposite, really. I'm just an American college student, what could I possibly know about the real world?

That doesn't stop me from thinking about it, though, and that's the real reason that I'm blogging. The world, the universe, people and the way they think and interact fascinates me, and at the end of the day I end up with a whole lot of questions. If you take one thing away from reading, it should be that, at all times, you should be asking questions. And I'm not even a philosophy major...

So, why Spin-Dash? Truth is, I thought of the name Spin-Dash when I was sitting in the library with a half-finished cover letter in front of me, comparing my mind to a washing machine on the spin cycle. It's contents get pushed to the side (too much daydreaming gets in the way of schoolwork, thanks middle school for teaching me that one!), and you have to peel them apart from one another to make sense of what's in there. Since I figured a blog titled Spin Cycle would delude people into thinking I was offering laundry tips, I thought Spin-Dash would be a more appropriate title, since you're taking a quick Dash through the thoughts that have Spun out of my mind. And please don't ask me for laundry advice. My clothes always come out wrinkled and a half-size too small.

My growing collection of belly-shirts aside, I decided to start blogging because I like questions, and I like answers that make sense. I don't like to just accept things as the way they are, I want to know why, and I hate it when people tell me they don't care or don't want to think about it. Like Socrates said, "A life unexamined is not worth living." (thanks to the Plotts for teaching me that one). We live in an extremely interesting time, folks. More and more, our world is connected and we all depend on each other. I just think it's cool to take a look at how and why.

So, if thinking about the way the world works isn't quite your cup of tea, or is a little too much to think about right now, I won't blame you if you close the browser window. Understanding how the pieces come together is a daunting task, and if it's a little too much (or much too much) to think about right now, that's fine. I'll be here if you come back.

However, if you do want to ask some questions and try to figure out some answers with me, I hope you stick around. Like I said, understanding the way the world works is a tall order, and I don't even begin to pretend I know how or that I can ever figure it out, but that doesn't mean we can't begin to try. You might want to pack some aspirin, though, just in case.

Welcome to Spin-Dash, everyone.