I was frustrated. Frustrated by the situation that I found myself in. I had a plume of smoke above my head. But then, I took a moment, and thought I should probably keep an open mind. Then I thought: Everyone would agree that an open mind is almost always, and for sure, better than a closed mind. Ain’t that right? So I took another look. To my utter surprise, my mind was only half open; I had assumed an image of a very open-minded self that was becoming untrue. While I was busy with my frustration, I have tuned the conversation out, and was closing my mind as the frustration built. So I pried my mind open. I pried. And I pried. And then, wow. A door revealed itself, unexpectedly. And the door opened.
Continue reading “Open Mind 🧠 Opens Doors”Author: Sujun
On Disruptive Ideas–Don’t be Misguided
On the August 25, 2020 episode of Charles Duhigg’s How To! podcast, Guy Raz said that a disruptive idea is (I assume he means “almost” and not “absolutely”) going to be rejected by most people, quoting the Airbnb founder’s experience.
Experience Every Moment in Life Fully, Here and Now
Professor Massimo Pigliucci of CUNY-City College hosts a podcast called Stoic Meditations. The episodes are really short. I tend to hit play; and it would end in a blink of an eye. A bit of a criticism for the professor: The audio quality or perhaps the way it is delivered results in a slightly muffled audio that is sometimes difficult to follow and goes by very quickly. It is, after-all, only 2-minute long.
That said, the latest episode caught my attention and had me replaying the episode ten million times. It is about Epictetus’s discourses, Book 3, Chapter XXIV.
Continue reading “Experience Every Moment in Life Fully, Here and Now”Choose Your Response
We do not have the luxury to tackle one crisis at a time; I wish we did. Intentional, strong, urgent responses are required–today.
And no, there is no time to point fingers. Put your fingers down. Let’s hold hands and make peace. Let’s work together. Working together is how we can tackle big problems.
Continue reading “Choose Your Response”The Price of “FREE” News and Information
Back then, there were chain letters (连环信) and the likes of “Send-a-dime” or “Prosperity Club.”
And in our not too distant past, there were chain emails. Remember those? Some of the examples on BuzzFeed might jog your memory (BuzzFeed, accessed March 29, 2020). Electronic chain letters. Fancy!
But whoa. WHAT HAPPENED? Today, fake news is pervasive. It is e-very-where. Disguised as “news” or “real” information. Twitter. YouTube. FaceBook. WhatsApp. You name it. All of them.
Continue reading “The Price of “FREE” News and Information”Impromptu Speaking
Ah, impromptu speaking. How do we make sure that we are ever-ready to say something, especially something smart, when you run into someone or when you are called upon to speak impromptu at a group meeting?
Virus is essentially a bag of DNA or RNA
Think of virus like a bag–a bag filled with genetic material. Pretend that the bag, a circular bag, is the envelop of a virus. Inside the bag, or the virus’s envelop, you can find either DNA or RNA (i.e. the genetic information of the virus).
SARS-CoV-2 is the kind of bag that contains RNA, not DNA. In fact, the SARS-CoV-2 bag only contains a long strand of RNA. The “bag” or the envelop of SARS-CoV-2, like many other viruses, is made of lipid bilayers, i.e. fatty acids chains organized in two layers. (See Figure 1 below)
Terms and Definitions: SARS-CoV-2 and Covid-19
Figure 1: The image of the infamous SARS-CoV-2, taken using transmission electron microscope (TEM). (Photo: GEN) The diameter of the virus is around 120 nm (Britannica, accessed March 21, 2020). As a comparison, imagine lining these guys up in a straight line, all 1,000,000 of them, and you will get 1 mm!
Continue reading “Terms and Definitions: SARS-CoV-2 and Covid-19”
The 2020 Bug (One of Them Anyways)
Twenty years ago, we were celebrating; we had overcome the fearful Y2K or the “millennium bug.” Today, twenty years later, we are facing a real bug, Covid-19, a new Coronavirus. Just a strand of RNA, but can be fatal.
Continue reading “The 2020 Bug (One of Them Anyways)”No More Excuses. Keep Learning!
Most of us are connected to the internet 24/7. And because of that, there are no more excuses. We can and should learn–and keep learning–and keep acquiring valuable skills, both to be better ourselves at our current job and prepare for the future.
In the beginning of my tech transfer career, I was a sponge; I soaked up as much information about patents and tech transfer as I possibly could. When I wasn’t able to attend events, lectures or conferences, I would consume so much online materials provided by AUTM and NCET2, especially everything I could get access to without additional fees. (Free is the best!)
