[001-mimic#2 non scientific]The Audacity of Google-TIME_Hailey

The Audacity of Google 

Larry Page and the Art of the Moon Shot

-by Harry McCracken and Lev Grossman, TIME, September 28, 2013.

Original paragraphs

It’s worth pointing out that there is no other company in Silicon Valley that could plausibly make such an announcement. Smaller outfits don’t have the money; larger ones don’t have the bones. Apple may have set the standard for surprise unveilings, but excepting a major new product every few years, these mostly qualify as short term. Google’s modus operandi, in comparison, is gonzo airdrops into deep “Wait, really?” territory. Last week Apple announced a new iPhone; what did you do this week, Google? Oh, we founded a company that might one day defeat death itself.

The unavoidable question this raises is why a company built on finding information and serving ads next to it is spending untold amounts on a project that flies in the face of the basic fact of the human condition, the existential certainty of aging and death. To which the unavoidable answer is another question: Who the hell else is going to do it?

[How-To-Series002]Rewards and Punishment_Chelsea

                        Day 70: Rewards by eyesogreen licensed by creative commmons from Flickr

Human minds are flexible, transient, changing, windy... in one word: not reliable.

You may just find this blog, and feel motivated on the spot: Hey, that seems cool! I want to try too!!! But after spending 5 minutes wandering around, another voice kicks in: ugh, that is just not my style. I won't follow through anyway...

This is normal. Completely normal and acceptable.

That's why we need to generate plans and strategies while our motivation is still high (enough to push us to do the hard work), which will then deal with the low-motivated ourselves in the close future.

The plan is called: Dog training...

[Mimic#102_scientific]Poor's poor mental power_Chelsea

Excerpt from (Link)

Science 30 August 2013:
Vol. 341 no. 6149 pp. 969-970
DOI: 10.1126/science.1244172
PERSPECTIVE

PSYCHOLOGY

The Poor's Poor Mental Power

Kathleen D. Vohs

Template:
Self-control may be the greatest human strength (6) because it is involved in the ability to make wise choices. Several studies have found that after using self-control (and thus reducing the resource), decision-making patterns shift toward favoring intuitive over reasoned options (10). For example, options were constructed so that they were extreme on some dimensions (e.g., expensive and high quality) or balanced (moderate price and modest quality). Choosing the latter reflects the use of deliberate cognitive strategies to accept trade-offs. Those who earlier had engaged in self-control activities preferred extreme options that required fewer trade-offs. Moreover, the process of making trade-offs itself requires self-control (11). These findings suggest that decisions requiring many trade-offs, which are common in poverty, render subsequent decisions prone to favoring impulsive, intuitive, and often regrettable options.

[Mimic#101_nonscientific]Status sonar_Chelsea

Hola~

Let's get this begin before we spent too much time wasting finding the perfect starting course. Just one random paragraph from a book by my side.

[001-mimic#1 scientific] Nature Commentary_Hailey

Nature Commentary

Life at the beginning: perturbation of the microbiota in early life and its role in health and disease

Sebastian Zeissig & Richard S Blumberg

This Commentary discusses how treatment with antibiotics in infancy shapes host immunity and influences susceptibility later in life to diseases mediated by the immune system.

“Sow a thought, and you reap an act;

Sow an act, and you reap a habit;

Sow a habit, and you reap a character;

Sow a character, and you reap a destiny.”

—Anonymous (quoted by Samuel Smiles in Life and Labor, 1887)

[How-To-Series001] How to hone up your writing skills as "foreigner"_Chelsea

 Learning to Fly by Kim Talor, licensed by creative commmons from Flickr

In the last post I pushed myself of writing out three reasons why should I (or say "we", assume you readers have similar interests as I do) hone up the writing skills.

In this post, I will summarize simply the approaches we (Hailey and Chelsea) are going to try in the first few weeks, and how we are going to take advantage of this blog format to achieve it.

Typically in terms of learning, there are handful ways to explore, depending on the particular skill set you want to pick up. For writing, which is more cognitive oriented, mimicry is the best way to start.

Why do I need to improve writing skill?_Hailey

Why do I need to improve writing skill?

When Chelsea brought up the idea of building a blog specifically dedicated to improve English writing, I was quite excited. It is something that I have always been planning to do, but never made into practice.

Why am I doing this_Chelsea

Write book by avrdreamer, licensed by creative commmons from Flickr.

People say:

Writing makes you happier.

Write the goals down, and you will make it.

Writing is an essential communication skill, in any sense.

Well, I agree the last one at least, though opening a blog and write on the keyboard may not be qualified for the first two reasons (aka write with a water-fountain pen?). There are many reasons why someone wants to achieve high quality writing, and here are the few reasons I want to embrace: