Category: Education

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Education Innovation Reading

Latest Read: When to Rob a Bank

The authors of Freakonomics, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner published When to Rob a Bank, a collection of stories from their blog. When these two economists look at popular culture, results will be amazing stories.

When to rob a bank

So, how do economists celebrate the 10th anniversary of publishing their breakout book Freakonomics? By researching stories from their most popular blog articles. One wants to be a professional golfer while the other is a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. And they play a lot of poker in Las Vegas.

This book provides insights via their blog posts. Learn about tipping and why flight attendants do not collect them. In addition, if you were a terrorist how would you attack? And why does KFC always run out of fried chicken?

Indeed, their idea to reduce air traffic in NYC was really genius, just close LaGuardia. There is certainly no chance in a political environment in New York City that LaGuardia would ever close.

Chapter 9 is the focus of When to Rob a Bank. Turns out Thursday morning is the best time to commit this crime. However the return on investment is not worth any effort.

Their story of how a woman arrested in 1961 for robbing a bank was again amazing!

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Education Innovation Reading

Latest Read: David and Goliath

David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell is all about the underdog succeeding. Stories of the little guy overcoming adversity to overcome a larger, highly favored adversary. While you may never tire of stories like this, Gladwell is exceptional at detailed storytelling.

David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell

The story of David cutting off Goliath’s head reminded me that I have largely forgotten the fable’s details since childhood. And it his opening chapter, it was in childhood that I can fully understand the story of a junior girls basketball team in silicon valley that used a full court press throughout the game to defeat their bigger opponents.

In chapter four, you learn David Boies (David) had dyslexia. He could still defeat Goliath (law school). I found this chapter very inspiring. From time to time as a child, dyslexia forced me to question what level I was confronting in grade school reading. The ability for David Boies to utilize other learning skills to succeed, looking back…sure wish I knew this story back then.

Ever work at a Children’s Hospital? I found from time to time my trips to the hospital required a stiff upper lip walking the hallways. At Children’s Wisconsin, administrative units are two miles from the main campus in an old renovated factory. Nikola Tesla worked in this factory 1919-1922. But that is different story.

Gladwell’s fifth chapter was also surprisingly personal. His David moment focused on tragic events that led to success over great odds. This includes the bombing of London during World War II. The story transitions to this ‘David’ moment of perseverance….the early treatment of childhood leukemia. As parent of young children I remain deeply moved passing kids in the hallway undergoing treatment at the hospital.

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Education Innovation Reading

Latest Read: Talking to Strangers

Talking to Strangers, a new book by Malcolm Gladwell results in another enjoyable and thought provoking read. There are many lessons that I have enjoyed from his works The Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers, and What the Dog Saw. Now reading David and Goliath that somehow I put down and never picked back up to finish. Over the last year I have been listening to his Revisionist History podcast. Again a very enjoyable experience.

talking to strangers by malcolm gladwell

Gladwell announced Talking to Strangers via his Podcast. Intrigued to see where he would next provide excellent writing and storytelling.

This book is no exception and yet there are painful, probably necessary in today’s world, lessons that clearly show how a lack of communication skills across all walks of live set alongside business objectives create sad stories across our country.

As Gladwell states many of his stories reflect the inability to understand the forest and the trees metaphor. Five parts to this book: Puzzles, Default to Truth, Transparency, Lessons, and Coupling.

His insights often show a revisionist approach to interpretations of communication. Talking to Strangers is no different. As Hernan Cortes found Montezuma II results in 20 million Aztecs murdered during Spain’s colonial expansion introduced a pattern of social interaction. Was this genocide all based upon a lack of translation? The chapters seem to push the reader to just that conclusion.

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Education Reading Vietnam War

Latest read: The Irony of Vietnam

The Irony of Vietnam: The System Worked by Leslie Gelb is a review that American bureaucratic institutions prevailed across the Vietnam War.

Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara appointed Leslie Gelb, following the death of John McNaughton to discover the history of American involvement in Vietnam. This top secret project Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force began in 1967 and became known as The Pentagon Papers after Dan Ellsberg leaked the study to the New York Times. 

The Irony of Vietnam: The System WorkedUnderstanding Gelb’s views and insights of the war you must acknowledge Gelb worked on CINCPAC OPLAN 37-64 known as Operation Rolling Thunder.

Readers should be well versed in the pre-World War II history of Indochina including American efforts via financially support in the French desire post-1946 to re-enslave the peoples of Indochina.

Gelb’s efforts well document the lost years of the American war 1966 to 1968. Interesting how Gelb viewed LBJ not finding consensus among his advisors on how to proceed …. victory was clearly understood as not achievable by 1965. Yet General Westmoreland could not convince LBJ that 480,000 more men would swing the tide of the war.

Gelb’s opinion of Operation Marigold brought refreshed insights that I did not easily recall from the Papers. The backdrop of a secret tunnel to establish peace via the Polish embassy detailed how intense the effort was in the White House set against the Air Force commitment to Gelb’s own Operation Rolling Thunder clipped any real chance at peace by December 1966. The war would continue for almost ten more years.

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Design Education Innovation Network Technology

Pediatric Medical Devices

The Global Medical Device Podcast Episode 115 Challenges with Pediatric Medical Devices is an honest discussion addressing medical devices for children and pediatric hospitals set inside the marketplace.
medical device podcast

This episode was refreshing to hear calls for medical devices designed specifically for children. The voices of experience shared longstanding vendors cannot simply ‘retrofit’ a device for young kids.

As mentioned there is quite a difference in treating small children with devices designed for adults. Mike Drues of Vascular Sciences and Jon Speer discuss the lack of availability for such medical devices and prescription drugs, specifically with children in mind.

Simply manufacturing a “smaller version” of adult medical devices and drugs for pediatric populations may not be the best solution. Lack of availability is simply due to a lack of market.

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