just take a mental picture

Autistic Savant Stephen Wiltshire Draws Rome From Memory

Genius. Many of us can't even remember what we had for breakfast.
So while not all of us can draw panoramics like so beautifully demonstrated by Mr. Wiltshire, I think we've all wished at one time or another that we could have more efficient memories. But just blaming your memory ("I'm sorry, I've always been bad at names...") isn't fair because we can train our brains to retain information more reliably. One trick that the experts give is to simply memorize something every day. Whether that's a fun fact, someone's birthday, a quote, scripture, or poem, you're memory will become stronger at holding information. Plus, you'll be muy impressive whenever you bust out that quote or remember where that person you met last Sunday is from. Specifically make a conscious effort to remember people's names. Remember that you won't actually get better at memorization unless you consciously try. No pain, no gain.

And if you're interested :
Statistically people remember 10% of what they read, 20% of what they hear, and 30% of what they see. http://www.wikihow.com/Improve-Your-Memory

all-stars and rappers

(Song: "Blueprint" 2 by Jay-z)
So last week, Mike Hansen, who does marketing for Nike, came and spoke to one of my classes. Of course, Nike does an excellent job with marketing, and so there was a lot to show and tell, but one of the most interesting points that he brought up was how Nike decided to integrate pop artists into their marketing mix by using popular pop songs in their commercials. He said, "We found that pop artists just wanna be athletes and athletes just wanna be pop artists." At first glance, I would probably just think, Hey, cool commercial, I like that song. But it really does go deeper than that because a popular pop song will attract the music fans in addition to the dedicated sports followers. By placing their brand at the intersection between all-star athletes and pop artists, Nike successfully made their product image even more popular. The presentation made me wonder why more brands haven't tried this, but I think Nike really got it right with this strategy.

is that weird?

We all have those things about ourselves that we think are totally normal until someone comes along and looks at us funny... But hey, being normal would be b-o-r-i-n-g anyway.
So, here's one of mine (face it, we all have manyy): If I'm freezing cold after waking up or while I'm sitting and doing homework or something, I'll pick up hair dryer and blast myself with warm air until I'm all toasty inside.
Sometimes for twenty minutes. Sometimes longer. (I don't really like being cold)
Is that weird?

reaching for the stars

On my bucket list: watch a space shuttle launch. Come back safe, Discovery.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110224/ap_on_sc/us_space_shuttle

ladies and gentelmen, please fasten your seatbelts

Well, I'm sorry to be negative nancy here, but I really hate planes. I'm really not worried about the crashing factor, it's more that they're too hot or too cold or too stuffy or too loud. And I can never, ever get comfortable enough to sleep. But I found this article about planes a while back that kept me reading. We don't always think about the behind-the-scenes work of the airline industry - we're just happy if they send our luggage to the right place...So this post is purely random, but it's something that you might find uniquely interesting.

The following excerpts come from this article: "35 secrets your pilot won't tell you"
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/35-secrets-your-pilot-wont-tell-you-2399544

“The truth is, we’re exhausted. Our work rules allow us to be on duty 16 hours without a break. That’s many more hours than a truck driver. And unlike a truck driver, who can pull over at the next rest stop, we can’t pull over at the next cloud.” -Captain at a major airline

“Some FAA rules don’t make sense to us either. Like the fact that when we’re at 39,000 feet going 400 miles an hour, in a plane that could hit turbulence at any minute, [flight attendants] can walk around and serve hot coffee and Chateaubriand. But when we’re on the ground on a flat piece of asphalt going five to ten miles an hour, they’ve got to be buckled in like they’re at NASCAR.” -Jack Stephan, US Airways captain based in Annapolis, Maryland, who has been flying since 1984

“Most of the time, how you land is a good indicator of a pilot’s skill. So if you want to say something nice to a pilot as you’re getting off the plane, say ‘Nice landing.’ We do appreciate that.” -Joe D’Eon

“No, it’s not your imagination: Airlines really have adjusted their flight arrival times so they can have a better record of on-time arrivals. So they might say a flight takes two hours when it really takes an hour and 45 minutes.” -AirTran Airways captain, Atlanta

“Pilots find it perplexing that so many people are afraid of turbulence. It’s all but impossible for turbulence to cause a crash. We avoid turbulence not because we’re afraid the wing is going to fall off but because it’s annoying.” -Patrick Smith

“People always ask, ‘What’s the scariest thing that’s ever happened to you?’ I tell them it was a van ride from the Los Angeles airport to the hotel, and I’m not kidding.” -Jack Stephan

“We don’t make you stow your laptop because we’re worried about electronic interference. It’s about having a projectile on your lap. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to get hit in the head by a MacBook going 200 miles per hour.” -Patrick Smith

“We ask you to put up the window shade so the flight attendants can see outside in an emergency, to assess if one side is better for an evacuation. It also lets light into the cabin if it goes dark and helps passengers get oriented if the plane flips or rolls over.” -Patrick Smith

feeling small

My daddy loves the mountains. I do too. They're crazy huge (to the point where they almost feel fake) and beautiful all year round. Time seems to stop when you sit atop a mountain peak. There are no cars speeding by or bread in the oven or work nearby to busy yourself with. Just peace.
And when I have looked out from the deck of a boat in the middle of a sea, I feel terrified, but excited. I imagine myself alone in that vast expanse of nothing but water, and I think of how there's no way I could get help fast enough if I were stranded. My stomach kinda twists up, but I'm still grinning.
Why do I love that feeling? Why does anybody love such massive, majestic places? I think its because their ethereal quality takes us away from our homes and workplaces and yank our minds back into the perspective of the universe as a whole. For a glorious moment, we forget the stress and detail of our everyday lives and remember that that moment we are in is but a blink in our lifetime. And being reminded that we are extremely small is awe-inspiring, humbling, and even relieving. The voice inside you says life is good. There are always bigger things in life to consider and think about and enjoy.

what was your name again?

Well. I don't know much of anything, but I discover a ton everyday. Here's one tip that I've learned. If you want to be more memorable, especially when networking with professionals, trying to get a job, or trying to get a promotion...SERVE.
There's nothing more valuable than your time, especially if the person you want to impress has a limited supply of time themselves. Offer your unpaid assistance (and be enthusiastic about it), and pretty soon you'll be making friends all over the place. Be yourself, but be genuinely interested in other people - introduce yourself first, remember their names, ask for their opinions, listen and relate to them. This, of course, works for other social circles besides business as well. When you want to be someone's friend, stop by for a visit, offer to drive them somewhere, be a good listener, etc. Giving both your time and attention show that you are interested in that individual and his or her life, and the people served feel more secure and cared for. In the business world, the same principles apply. Your boss will remember your name (and your abilities) if you offer to create a new design for the company website. Your co-workers will remember your kindness when you offer to pick up lunch for them while you're out. Taking a few moments to be aware of peoples' needs will take you from being the newbie in a workplace to being an extremely valuable employee.

"I never think of the future. It comes soon enough."

--Albert Einstein.
Story of my liiife, except not completely 100% because, come on, it's not like we never think about the future. We all make long-term goals and such because thinking ahead is muy importante. Still, it seems like I can only focus on a couple weeks at a time, and that's pushing it. And really, why plan longer than that? There's this idea that I firmly subscribe to called the nothing-usually-ever-turns-out-exactly-the-way-you-planned philosophy. Therefore, make plans when you know the steps to make it happen, when you know they have a good chance of going into effect. That being said, make sure you always have an end goal - something that drives you, somewhere you hope to be down the road. Otherwise, you'll lose your way in the craziness of life because...It's a dangerous business, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no telling where you might be swept off to (thank you, bilbo). But like Albert said, the future always comes soon enough, so concentrating on making the day you're in be the fullest it can be can help ease the stress of trying to be the perfect planner all the time. Don't worry about things you can't control, and let yourself relax a little. Learning to plan your ideal future is something that nobody learns to perfect.