We ended our “Teacher-Researcher Workshop” with a panel discussion with three professors from our university, one in Public Administration, the second from Political Science and the third from Economics.  Each helpfully contributed something to over 40 Kazakhstani teachers.  The first talked about writing being the “Queen of Rhetoric” or communication, it involves all the thinking skills.  This public administration professor felt fortunate to have had a very good writing teacher in his undergraduate class which helped him in his subsequent classes and even now in his publishing articles. 

Our second panelist from a political science perspective has great empathy for what we do as writing teachers for first year students.  He advised to stick with ONE style of writing research papers.  At the very least let the students know there are as many formatting styles as there are journals.  It seems that most of the professors on campus prefer Chicago or Turabian with footnoting or endnotes and NOT the APA style we have enforced on our fledgling first year writing students.  He also stated that American high school students have an edge over our Kazakhstani students because they have already been exposed to research papers.  Unfortunately, our students don’t have that writing background when they enter our western-style university.  He recommended that we prepare the students in the first year on how NOT to plagiarize so that the upper division courses don’t have to focus on that but devote more time on the conceptual ideas of each students’ paper. 

Our third panelist from economics stated that “Writing is Thinking and Thinking is Writing.”  Being a writing teacher is a difficult position to fulfill all those expectations. He knows that in the U.S. it is the most arduous for administrators to fill writing courses with qualified teachers. With all other teaching assignments, such as speaking, listening or grammar, the teacher conducts the class and leaves whereas the writing teacher conducts the class with the same contact hours but also has hours and hours of correcting papers afterwards.  No one wants to invest that kind of time into a course and be paid the same amount of money, unless they are convinced it is for the betterment of their students.  Clearly writing teachers in the western universities are not IN IT FOR THE MONEY!!!

One Kazakh teacher, during the Q&A time, lamented on how to make writing seem less like punishment to the students.  She claimed there are so many rules on writing a research paper and felt there is so much pressure and tension to get all the rules correct.  Her students wailed they did not want to take another semester of a writing course as has been suggested.  Yet another teacher responded that her students were very enthusiastic about writing because of all the options available with the research databases and other Internet cites that help make it easier and more enjoyable. In a group of 40 teachers, there is a vast array of skills, experience, level of curiosity and time commitment involved with the teaching of writing.

My last comment to all who were gathered yesterday is that we have to guide and suggest topics with our students that are of interest to them.  I believe we need to hover over them from the very start when they are experimenting with thesis statements.  Especially do young students need help with English synonyms for keyword searches once they start looking for journals on the electronic databases.  Bottom line for us as teachers, we need to help the students in the PROCESS of writing from first draft, second draft to final version in order to have good papers to read.  If we are enjoying the process and discovering along with them, the students will ultimately enjoy writing too. 

Therefore, I would recommend that the Kazakhstani students have a required three semesters of writing at our university instead of only one semester so that they can discover their own voice. Most all western universities have two semesters of writing courses for their incoming freshmen students. I strongly suggest first semester would be very informal writing with narrative, descriptive, compare and contrast essays, topics the students would really enjoy writing about.  The second semester would be more discursive, cause and effect, argument and problem and solution.  Finally, the third semester would be the most formal writing with a research paper, fully preparing them for other coursework that expects written essays.  Instead we are expecting our first year learners, who do not have English as their first language and have NO writing experience in high school, to immediately write like an academic in a short 15 week course!!! That is definitely a recipe for disaster and no wonder some of the students end up hating writing and feel desperate enough to plagiarize even though there are red flags all over the syllabus to NOT plagiarize!!!

"shower with handsome roommate"

Are ya SERIOUS?  Bwahahahahahahaahhaha..... Nice.  I hope they found some result from that search that was more interesting than THIS (since I recall the post it probably lead them to was about a shower issue I had several years back that forced me to have to share a bathroom with my then-roommate for a few days... and though she was kinda HOT, she wasn't "handsome.")

People amuse me.

Now Playing: Um, still Lex & Terry.

I wish that person would email me. I'd love to know why they went all the way to page 4 of Google results, then to a portfolio I did, and from there to my home page and from there, how did they get to my blog?

I wish they had left me a comment after doing all that work. But then I wasn't what they were looking for, and they were falling down the rabbit hole too fast to stop by, I reckon.

What I found was that someone thinks Georgia O'Keefe might have inspired the design of the Firefox logo --a bit of a stretch, IMNSHO. A red circle around a blue circle are very archetypal shapes, and some of them are O'Keefe-esque, but the painting cited was not a popular one that would be found on a calendar. I know. I have a number of Georgia O'Keefe books and calendars.

Apparently a lot of New Mexico sites mention both snakes of the desert and the Georgia O'Keefe museum. I was hoping that I might find an image of O'Keefe's that would include snakes, but that might be a bit less representational than her images, which though often apparently abstract, are usually variations on shapes in nature filtered by her perception of them.

Last night I dreamed about snakes last night--lots and lots of them, pretty ones, colorful ones, not attacking me, but swimming in the water, coiled on the forest floor, everywhere. "A snake is not a symbol" according to James Hillman, second wave Jungian analyst, so I'll need to do some morning pages on that...and maybe send a bit of Active Imagination to speak to Georgia, if she is not too busy designing canyons and flowers for the Universe.

But maybe the message is that letting yourself fall down the rabbit hole of the Internet might get you bitten?

            Which is why I ordered chicken throughout the two-day DailyMe board meeting this week.  A modern-age Knights of the Round Table in some respects, the reunion marked the most power I’ve ever seen consolidated in our world of personalized media. It was a chance for my employers to flesh out the final product, as well as their launch plans, for all of those that care.  The South Florida summit began with a bonding dinner on Monday night, and the final investor flew back out yesterday afternoon.  The time within that interval was filled with presentations, demonstrations, commendations, computations, collaborations, and, ultimately, congratulations.  No water sports were involved. 

            In hindsight, the event was very well-received.  Everyone got along well, was satisfied with the product, and had no trouble with small-talk.  I can verify only the latter observation first-hand, however, because I was just invited to the initial meal.  Conversation topics ranged far and wide, with one portion of the group discussing Hillary Clinton’s recent cleavage-shot.  Things were so comfortable, in fact, that one investor gave details about his recent wisdom tooth removal (the anesthetic left him knowing the lyrics to every John Fogerty song).

 Yes, the kick-off meal was quite fun, but I admit feeling intimidated in the beginning.  This was in part because I couldn’t decide where to sit at the table: I had to find a power-broking adult willing to forego the banquet’s networking potential by sitting next to a non-professional teenager.  Fortunately, the tablemates did not find me burdensome, and graciously welcomed me into “big boy” conversations throughout the night.  Only, like, two people I met asked what toys I was getting for my birthday. 

            The other concern came later, when I realized that I was in position to order my food before all others.  The restaurant must have pre-empted my “how expensive should my food be” question days earlier, though, because every appetizer had the same price. 

            The real winner at the end of the evening was education, because I learned worlds about DailyMe’s many faces.  And after hearing the next day’s meeting went off without a hitch, I say it’s time we launch, already. 

Peace, Love, and Personalized Media.

-John the Intern

www.dailyme.com

On some levels, it is easy to reconcile the two roles: members of the workforce can produce from 9-to-5 on Monday-thru-Friday, and purchase their food/house/life supplies from shift-managed stores throughout the evenings and weekends.  But what happens when this salaried, 5-day-a-weeker desires a product or service that is only sold during his business hours?  He ditches work to take care of his schtuff…that’s what. 

            So where is the line drawn?  To what extent should self-preservation come to mind during a paid grind?  By now, like with all other aspects of office courtesy, an unwritten book of guidelines has been long unpublished on the subject.  There are several types of during-work errands that an understanding boss would find acceptable, mine included, and the appropriate time off for each is directly related to the criteria it fulfills. 

            One important criterion should be of course, that the errand can ONLY be completed during work hours.  This generally includes anything postal, medical, or financial; sometimes it’s all three. 

              Beyond this, the breadth of errands allowed depends entirely on a given work environment.  If one is fortunate enough to leave an office where “every minute counts” for a more liberal group, they’ll see that “grooming” and “automobile”-related tasks are the first to become OK again.  Approval of the former is perhaps influenced by a famously versatile quote fragment, “the clothes/hair/shoes/nails/toenails/moustache makes the man/woman”.  When a boss is more concerned with the quality and appearance of employee time, he or she will know that Saturday is simply too late to hit the salon.  Likewise, the de-clawing aspect of a manicure can be an asset to the work week, because it encourages good, painless handshakes (and we know how important handshakes are).  At DailyMe, my boss actually gave me the name of a trendy hair-cuttery (the ensuing adventure is a whole ‘nother story). 

            On the other hand, I have not yet experienced car-maintenance errands …but I already know why they’re so effective.  Do you really know what’s underneath the hood of your car?  How about the cars of your employees?  And are you willing to wager money on the length of time it takes to get the “free” carwash at the dealership?  If the answer to all of these questions is no, then you should also see the light.  Few people know enough about automobiles to question an employee getting one fixed, which makes this excuse an excellent “wild card”.  No matter what the occasion, just tell your boss there is something wrong with the “carburetor-doodad-combobulator” for a get-out-of-jail-free card.  Until abused excessively, this system is widely accepted in most offices across America.  Just don’t try it if your boss is an auto mechanic. 

            This is not to say that trips to Target and Office Depot cannot be taken periodically.  DM does not mind day-trips to nearby retailers, presuming the employee says the secret password: “do any of you need something from there?” 

            The moral of the story is that everyone has to put their personal needs before their work sometimes.  A sympathetic boss will always understand, especially when the time you do spend at your desk is valuable.  A happy employee pays his dues, but also enjoys clean sideburns and a fine-sounding engine.  Too bad I can’t grow sideburns yet. 

Peace, Love, and Personalized Media.

-John the Intern

www.dailyme.com 

Friday may have more identity stereotypes than any of its brothers, and this is in part because the day is so versatile.  This day/night has it all, but many argue that a firm’s productivity pays the price.  The visible-light-at-the-end-of-tunnel aura often infects the workday, placing professionals in frivolously light spirits.  “TGIF” manifests itself in several noticeable ways: Casual Friday dress (and any themed variation), starting the day late, ending the day early, et al.  I encourage you to respond with other elements of that set the day apart from others in your office. 

-John the Intern

www.dailyme.com

            I can’t tell if it was my new job at DailyMe or the natural ebbing of youth that forced me to become more stationary (Side note: the word “stationary” also denotes the material used to write letters.  Ironic, for the mailing process inherently does NOT take place in one location).  Either way: I’ve been a ‘tweener for the first few weeks, alternating between my IBM ThinkPad and a desktop monitor that the company provided.  It wouldn’t have taken long to assimilate exclusively to the suggested machine on the first day, but a broken mouse made for easy regression.   I soon sought comfort in the ole’ laptop, and utilized the desktop only for printing and remote applications.  The first phrase that comes to mind is love triangle, but the three of us were doing just fine. 

            Until my conscientious co-workers replaced the broken desktop mouse.  A great gesture, but one that brought my double cyber-existence to an abrupt halt.  I was not prepared to take this step because I had haphazardly saved files (in no particular arrangement) on both computers.  Further, I knew a purely desktoppy experience would promote good posture…and I HATE good posture.

            I don’t think DailyMe would have any issues with a transitional period for consolidating my files, but I feel guilty when not using the brand new desktop mouse.  Reverting to my laptop click-pad too often would be like playing with old toys after your birthday party.  And it begs a significant question: now that DailyMe has invested technology in me, am I in over my head?  As for the problem at hand, though, the best compromise may be to marry the new and the old.  With a simple pull, shuffle, and plug, I will simply attach the new mouse to my laptop.  I’ll be happy, and company money will have been put to good use. 

            A laptop with a desktop mouse…I guess opposites attract, after all. 

Peace, Love, and Personalized Media.

-John the Intern

www.dailyme.com

The opportunity to unite for din-din presented itself as a small celebration for our imminent site launch—a pre-launch party, if you will-- as well as a chance to inject some fun into mid-week.  We all agreed that the significance of the occasion justified a change of scenery, and thus got a reservation in far-south Coral Gables (no relation to Clark), a DailyMe favorite restaurant named Cacao.  I knew this would mean a lengthy commute home after dinner, but that was no biggie: ever since I switched from Premium to Regular gas, I’ve been willing to widen my carbon footprint a bit.

The meal itself found our group in excellent spirits, and this was sustained as we dug into Latin American cuisine/Nouveau.  I managed to hold my own at the table with five well-mannered adults, but regret that my role in the boss’s toast was cumbersome.  It turns out a number of laws and social taboos forbid drinking wine before the age of 21, so I was forced to clink a platter of lamb chops with red wine sauce against their glasses. 

The food was otherwise excellent, and so was the service from our waiters and the attention we received from the wine steward. Seriously, this guy found a perfect wine for each and every portion of our meal—even dessert.  The lesson learned: milk isn’t the only dessert beverage out there, these days.  Between courses, we reminisced about old times (10 months of memories!) and marveled at what the future may hold.  It was a classic Kodak moment, to say the least.

 All in all, the celebration lasted 5 hours before we received the gi-normous bill close to midnight.  A delicious way to celebrate a delicious milestone, indeed.

Peace, Love, and Personalized Media.

-John the Intern

www.dailyme.com

  I would even argue that the enjoyment of activities with odd numbers of participants is beyond the human experience.  The only comfortable example I can cite exists in an alternate dimension, where our abstractions live and breathe: it is here that a trio of twentysomethings named Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner have shared a metaphorical apartment in My Daily Diet for years.  The group will always have a lot in common (all three roommates list “being eaten” and “forcing family conversation” as their favorite activities), but today’s terrible breakfast experience was enough to make me terminate the syrupy tenant’s sub-lease.  From here on, I intend to metaphorically house only two daily meals…plus a protein shake.   

It’s no coincidence that my attitude towards breakfast soured after I became a working man.  No longer allowed an eating schedule based solely on my hunger patterns, I’ve found it nearly impossible to align all of my interests for this particular meal.  The result: I’m unable to stomach the food served to me upon waking up, despite its being time-efficient and con newspaper.  The only alternative I’m then left with is a strip of sub-nutritious fast food joints en route to the office…and who has time to stop at one of those?  I did, incidentally.  Everyone comes in at 9:30 on Mondays, so I had a few minutes to kill.  Or did the few minutes kill me? 

To cut a long story short, I decided to take in a second breakfast on a shady bench outside a Dunkin’ Donuts restaur-shop before work.  I didn’t realize as I sat, however, that the seat was already occupied by a dirty puddle.  That’s the funny thing about wetting high-quality pants, though: you don’t notice the cold sensation for the first five seconds of exposure, and the resulting mark is never located at an innocuous location like the knee.  Moreover--I wasn’t able to finish my bear claw, because I had to go home and change. 

I understand that wet, hungry, and buttoned-down is no way to go through life, but my co-workers later encouraged me to accept malnutrition as an element of adult work life (This coming from Mrs. Boss, who has been known to substitute a can of soda or chocolate bar for lunch). 

Will I regret dropping breakfast?  Hard to say.  I will certainly have to find a new time to read my DailyMe (and change the delivery preference accordingly), but I don’t sacrifice much else.  It’s not like I boasted a “No Meal Left Behind” policy. 

Peace, Love, and Personalized Media

-John the Intern

www.dailyme.com

            Sure, my cub-cub entertains two low walls and the computer monitor it deserves, but the exposure to the outside world is what lowers its real estate value.  I sit every day with my back to the door, and the vulnerability is taxing; I know that only a coward would ambush me from behind, but the prospect of a Swingline stapler attack is valid cause for concern. 

On a more feasible note, though, I think the inhabitant of the “doormat” cubicle has far too many responsibilities.  Like when UPS, Fed-Ex, and all those other short-shorted creatures of the day show up: I’m ALWAYS the guy who signs for packages!  I’ve tried every excuse—even feigned a stylus allergy—but I seldom escape throwing down the ole’ John Hancock.

If you find yourself in a similarly compromising position, I can offer but one nugget of advice: build thick skin, and even thicker deltoid muscles.  For there will always be an officemate who enjoys giving pats on the back, and you know who his easiest target is. 

Peace, Love, and Personalized Media.

-John the Intern

www.dailyme.com

1        Sense of Humor: Although “that’s what she said” jokes continue to tap the universal male funnybone, my friends and I can’t relate over many other gags.  It’s not that a big-boy job has elevated the wit of my jokes, but, instead, it has changed the topics that I find funny.  Since joining the civilian labor force, the only “size” I’ve heckled a buddy about is that of his pension.   

2        Down-time: I pity the fool who sleeps ‘till noon each wasteful summer day, but I envy the contemporaries who found honest work at a summer camp: their rest hour after lunch is just what my near-adult body needs to get through the day.  I’m yet to observe a siesta at DailyMe, but I get one notable break each Monday morning: I forget that my superiors are coming in at 9:30 instead of 9:00 AM, and end up with half an hour to kill while I wait to be let into the office.  This is a good opportunity to sleep on a bed of tile, chug a Red Bull, or stick my head down a flushing toilet until my eyes open.  Either way, I’m all the more energized for a day of work. 

 I can’t think of much else that distinguishes me from my peers, and I’m grateful: I’d hate to put “Density of Body Hair” as a third category.  The bottom line is that I’m still a kid at heart—and in physique--and will not lose sight of this as I continue my internship.  Just don’t call me Peter Pan.

            It’s only 10:00 AM on July 5^th, but the flame of Independence Day in South Florida is extinguished.  Though yesterday’s holiday spirit seemed more charged-up than Benjamin Franklin’s libido (or so I’ve heard), the zest has since fizzled like a child-safe sparkler.  Nestled in an online chatroom because its building was closed, however, the DailyMe staff remained largely oblivious of the holiday’s coming-and-going.  One could chalk this up to the management’s international background, but I attribute the diligence to our site’s impending launch date.  As we prepare to go public with the service, we expect to work harder hours, to stay for longer days, and to drink Spicier-flavored V8 juice.  It will take some extra energy on my part as well, but the fruit of labor will be next month’s launch party.  We originally wanted the celebration’s theme to signify progress and innovation—we do claim to produce “next generation news”, after all—but we’ll probably just go with something risk-free like “Daily Me, Vegas Style”. 

            I’ve spent a good deal of time discussing the energy our staff has put into the homestretch, but I haven’t yet told you the nature of our work.  This is partly because it would defeat the purpose of pleasure reading, but there is also some pressure from the powers that be to stay hush-hush.  We are currently fleshing out some marketing strategies, and are trying to keep them under wraps as crunch-time continues.   

            In parallel, our computer whizzes will program codes and algorithms into the new web design while the others focus on some “QA”.  The latter undertaking may be illegal in most grammar books (what’s the deal, Q?  Too cool to hang out with U these days?), but Quality Assurance (full name) is essential for the detail-oriented startup. 

            I don’t know how I’ll fit into the final countdown, but I hope it involves either blogging or jumping out of launch cakes.  Enjoy the holiday-less remainder of summer, I’ll be keeping you company several times a week.

-John the Intern

www.dailyme.com

             At DailyMe, I was quickly introduced to the process behind making one’s company a high priority on sites like Google, Yahoo, and AskJeeves.  What I’ve realized: nabbing the #1 spot for various keyword searches is no easier than winning prom king (but at least it’s not a black tie event). Much of an online company’s fortune is determined by its site’s use of particular words and how they compare with, say, a Google-user’s search terms.  Such random relevancy determines a site’s position on what is referred to as an “organic” search.  There, search result rankings are entirely content-and-programming based (not paid for), and Silicon Valley executives have denied that it has anything to do with the California’s granola tendencies.

            Not unlike prep school, though, search engines make it possible for the proverbial rich kid with the beach house to ensure his popularity…even if it doesn’t come naturally.  You may at some point have noticed the paid search results at screen-right entitled “Sponsored Links”, and this is what I’m talking about.  This short-cut isn’t as easy as it sounds for sought-after terms, however, and bidding wars over keyword-ranking have been known to consume the lives of many (including this writer’s boss).

            It’s probably not a subject that concerns the pure consumers out there, but it’s interesting to know that such method exists behind the perceived madness.  And even though DailyMe has landed some excellent real estate on both paid and organic searches, the company’s experience has taught me a valuable lesson: popularity contests will continue to prevail in the busy digital age. 

Peace, Love, and Personalized Media.

-John the Intern

www.dailyme.com