"Adult" College Students

At 25 years of age, I am one of the youngest at my college Metropolitan State University. The reason why the majority is mostly middle-aged students - people in this country who typically work during weekday mornings and afternoons -  is partly because this particular university has most of its classes at night, Saturdays, and online. However, the trend nationwide over the past five years, including the community college I graduated from last year, is more and more Americans in their 30+'s returning, or for their first time starting, college. This increase of "adult" students in the college world is hugely due to the recession that started in 2008 and the newly massive availability of online classes, or both. More jobs are requiring college degrees but also, just like my new boss's situation of having a degree in advertising but now taking a Speech class also at Metropolitan State University, more career fields need people to have additional skills in other subjects other than their major, also that only formal education can give.

Skyrim Dragonborn Coming to PS3

Rise from the Ashes, my PS3 Bretheren!

As found on NeoSeeker, Bethesda has officially announced the long awaited release of their downloadable content for their 2011 Best Selling Game, Skyrim. Playstation 3 gamers worldwide were becoming impatient with Bethesda, who has taken almost a year to release any DLC for the console while releasing all DLC for the other platforms (PC and Xbox).

However, PS3 gamers will be pleased to hear that the DLC will be published rather quickly, with Dragonborn coming February 12, Hearthfire February 19, and Dawnguard February 26. These scatter of dates should give PS3'ers plenty of time to enjoy the content before being slapped with another one.

To make it even better, the content will be offered at 50% off for one week after release, so there is really no excuse for passing up on this DLC. Not to mention the elaborate detail and extended game-play that each pack offers.

Minnesota Kids Play Hard-y

Living in Minnesota makes us brave.
Living in Minnesota makes us resistant.
Living in Minnesota makes us stupid creative.

Minnesotan's love to talk about the weather. In this state the season 'winter' creates as much gossip as a Kardashian.

This winter's drama:
A mom on Facebook decides to console others about her child being sent out to recess in -10 below.

Some say: "It never mattered when we were kids and we ended up just fine, Minnesota kids are tough"
Others say: "I'd bring up this issue with the school board"

I work for a facility that does outdoor programming with kids. Programs will continue rain or shine as long as it is not severe. I asked one teacher at my facility the temprature they refrain from going outside in the winter season and she said 0. I asked another teacher that runs a different program in the same facility and he said -10 below. They both thought they were speaking for the same school district policy. So what defines severe? What IS the standard?

According to Minnesota, it depends.
For the rest of the United States the confusion about playing in the cold persists.

Perhaps someone should ask the children for the answer.
If they are having a bad experience is it worth it? If their outdoor clothing isn't appropriate and they spend that time miserable, what perceptions of the outdoor world are we teaching them?

I say: Give them options!

For instances where this may be out of your control (like school) Dress your kids like you would dress yourself. You know, as if you were actually going to be forced to be outside and play for a significant amount of time. This is not your thin winter outfit that you support with running from building to car, car to building. If you imagine yourself not playing and instead complaining about how cold you are, the way you may be complaining about policy, just think how much happier you would have been had your parents prepared you with useful winter gear (not just the cute crap). If your kids are complaining ask yourself what you may need to provide them with that they don't currently bring. Do better.

As far as the mom on facebook, maybe it's time to change school districts (yeah right) OR invest in a 'bundle cold kid' kit. <-- You could patent this idea if you can create it.


For tips on how to keep your child warm this winter check out 10 Cold Weather Safety Tips for Kids.


- Kimbo B. Tuna


P.S. Let us not forget the kids at the bus stop.
(I had a long walk home from school, I have no pity for them.)

Are Social Media Tools Making Us More Human?

Do social media make us more human? First of all, what does it mean to be human? Literally, every person alive is human—we are Homo sapiens that live with a mind, soul, and spirit—and a conscience that guides us from decisions to behaviors.  

Many of the decisions we make are based on personal and comfort preferences.  For example, technologically savvy people tend to use social media with smart devices to communicate. For those who are not so technologically savvy, they tend to avoid social media. Instead, they use twentieth century conventional tools such as telephones and letters to connect with others in remote places. Nevertheless, each of these communication tools mentioned, whether it is a smart device or a conventional communication tool, it allows the user to engage in in-depth conversations about people’s feelings, ideas, and interests with other like-minded or not-so-like-minded people.

Because I know we are as human as we will ever be in our physical bodies with our intangible minds, souls, and spirits, I believe some thought leaders are asserting that social media is making us more human because more people have the opportunity to enter into dialogues that articulate our human interests, thoughts, and feelings; thus we are connected with others in greater numbers.

Based on the concept of the book We First by Simon Mainwaring, niche or self-interest conversations going unchecked by the moral and ethical checks-and-balances of a healthy conscious, could, in effect, be nothing more than Me First behaviors running awry; whereby, individuals are more inclined to address their personal needs rather than their needs as members of a global society. In contrast, would it be more human to adapt to We First behaviors; whereby, individuals are proactive humanitarian supporters of not only their personal concerns and needs but also those of others in the cosmos?

As we enter into more conversations using social media tools such as blogs, mini-blogs, chats, podcasts, video-casts, smart mobile devices, and other tools, they may or may not bring about enlightenments and behavioral changes. However, as we create more dialogues using them, it makes us better advocates and communicators of our feelings, ideas, and interests. Thus, to determine whether social media discussions make us more human, we need to agree upon what contributes to more human-like behavior. Is it based on quantitative multi-dimensional articulations or qualitative behavioral interactions?

I would think human behavior is determined by quality in terms of a conscience with a purposeful mind, soul, and spirit that chooses to act in ways that align with the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Consequently, do social media make us love more; share more joy and peace; be more patient, kind, generous, and gentle; and practice more self-control with others? If it does, then social media is making us more human. 

Linda Williams

Where did blogging come from anyway?

Where did blogging come from anyway?

One of my neighbors handed me his business card and noted he was on WordPress.  "That's cool," I responded, but I really didn't have a clue what WordPress was.  I just figured it must be really important and complicated.  Not so much, it turns out.  So, here I am writing my very first blog in the universe and am thinking, what would someone reading this want to learn?  Why of course, it came to me, when and how did blogging come into vogue.  What is its real purpose?

 I let my fingers do the walking and did a little research.  Care to participate in a little pop quiz?  What do Jorn Barger, Peter Merholz, and Evan Williams have in common?  They were all instrumental in coining the term "weblog" which became "we blog" and finally shorted to simply "blog" taking on the form of verb and noun.  Blogging in its earliest form started off slowly in1983 and raced to popularity in 1999 with the introduction of hosted blogging tools.

Blogs are written for as many reasons as there are blogs.  Some people write about a subject near and dear to their hearts (think dogs), others for advancing a cause (I am an author and want to sell books), and others perhaps to gather support for a political party.  There is a wiki site which lays out the History of Blogging and will provide you with lots of interesting information on how blogging can be used to advanced a We First mentality. 

Happy blogging!

Robin

The biggest 'Deal' of the year on 'Stuff'

"Can I help you find something?" says the aggressive store clerk.

Answer options:

A. Without making eye contact reply "No thank you, I'm just looking."

B. Walk faster and pretend you didn't hear her because your anxiety is climbing. Can't risk engaging in conversation. She might try to give you 'buy this' advice about the living room she is imagining all wrong.

C. Or my new line "I heard you have a lot of STUFF. Just looking around at STUFF today. I see you have sparkly STUFF. I will start there." That usually stops the chase. 

My brain was human once. I used to question why. 

Why must I make my bed in the morning if I have to fix it for sleeping again in the evening?

Why does green have the same taste regardless if it is lettuce, grass, broccoli, or the lilac bush foliage I stole and ate from the neighbors yard?

Why is that squirrel dragging a hot dog bun up a tree?

I need to mention that these questions were not from recent years.

Then in my adult life, I obtained a job that afforded me extra funds. This gave me access to making the thoughtless decision to hand it over to stores like PierOne Imports and Bed Bath and Beyond. In return, I am blessed with a bunch of crap that only makes sense in one season. Usually the season that is on sale and currently over. By the time that season rolls around again I have no idea I own said item after tucking it away. No one compliments my stuff by the way, because my design ability is also crap. So much for bragging rights.

I can't shake this ferret like impulse.

Ferret impulse = must have, must hide, must hoard.

Even after crap stuff is obtained it never satisfies. 

The ferret will strike again and here's why.

I present to you. The story of STUFF.

This is obviously outdated (2007), but there is a video series that continues to reveal the deal behind stuff that is ongoing.

Calling all ferrets - comment below and suggest what other stores I should stay away from during this time of great addiction...or which ones I should shop at next. *COUGH COUGH*

Hoping to gain control of consumption through the power of questions,

- Kimbo-B-Tuna

Social media beyond facebook and twitter

When most of us when we hear the term social media we only think of facebook or twitter. A few people may include youtube and vimeo in their definition. I doubt many people include other forms of media beyond these narrow definitions. Social media is much more than a facebook page. 

Foldit is a video game that is a prime example of this broader definition. Foldit was created by the University of Washington to see if a world wide community of gamers could play and collaborate to solve medical problems. The gamers work alone or create collaborative teams to solve puzzles and researchers use the puzzle solutions in their work.



The objective of the game is to fold proteins and get as high a score as possible in the process. The solutions with the highest scores are analyzed by scientists to see if those solutions can be applied to solve real world problems. One such problem was the M-PMV retrovieral protease that had stumped the medical research community for 15 years.  When the problem was put on Foldit a collaborative gamer group found a solution in 10 days.

Social media can be much more than drunken pictures on facebook or a celebrity twitter feed. Social media can gather people from around the world and use any media type available to solve real world problems. This is exactly what the Foldit community does, and it's done with a video game.