Our Brothers and Sisters

This is a must see. Jessica delivers a powerful message about the Love people feel for each other and the poor. We sometimes donate to relieve our own guilt when we observe our own wealth vs that of the poor. Out of our own pride or need to "feel good"  we feel we should give something. However Jessica challenges us not to sympathize so much with the poor but to believe in their potential. As she explains, its not the sympathy that matters most to people, they don't need it.  Lots of time they possess greater virtues then the wealthy. They need our support and community, our love and respect rather then our sympathy

Although she is a very accomplished entrepreneur, she still sticks to her initial notion of altruism and love for her brothers and sisters, the poor. Its all about listening to the stories of others and empowering those with endeavors of changing the world to do so. The poor, struggle and toil all day long to improve their lives, and the lives of their families. Often times it isn't necessarily the monetary gifts they receive but more-so the friendship and care they relish and find invaluable.

Chilean Miner finishes New York City Marathon

Its pretty incredible how this guy who was expecting to die a few weeks earlier, was able to compete in notably the most famous race in the world. Some articles say that while he was down there, he was training for this race. In any case, its a testament to the human spirit and its adaptability in difficult situations.

Chilean Miner finishes NYC Marathon

Awesome Innovations for the Future

This is really cool. This article shows some of the profound developments that are expected to happen within the next decade or so. My personal favorite is how we interact with Technology in general.

10 Ways The Next 10 Years Are Going To Be Mind Blowing

The World Ain't Sunshine and Rainbows

I stumbled across this on YouTube recently. I was kind of surprised since sequels tend to be a bit diluted from the originals however this was surprisingly potent of a message.

How often is it that we look at life pessimistically. We tend to be first rate hosts at our own pity parties. The idea of playing the victim role is so comfortable and inviting that we often don't pass up the opportunity to take it. I have complained an innumerable amount of time in the past about traffic being too long, work was really tough today, it was raining and I forgot my umbrella, or etc...  It has been about even bigger things such as, I am not where I want to be in life. The list is endless and exhaustive. What I take from this clip is that Life will continually throw things at you, so don't get too comfortable in the perceived state of untouched bliss. The virtue lies in being able to smile at life with a confident almost cocky grin and say "This is nothing I got this". In this way, everything that comes your way is a conquest to be had rather then an insurmountable obstacle the universe has conspired to attack you with.

I am learning that life will never be just "sunshine and rainbows" all the time and those that claim that it is are either charmed, diluted, or dishonest (in most cases, its the latter 2 cases). However those that rise above such trials,no matter how large or small, and pay no regard to them seem to be the happiest. They accept life with all its imperfections and don't let their happiness depend on the instable conditions of their circumstances. When watching an extremely competitive sporting event such as the UFC (my personal favorite),  the meek always admit defeat prematurely in the ninth hour. Its the warrior that gets beat numerous times, from all angles and directions, falters, stumbles, collapses, and yet ultimately gathers the strength to get up just one more time. Its truly remarkable and awe-inspiring to witness such strength of character, irrespective of actual physical capabilities. So while its easy to submit to the obstacles of life, that doesn't provide any easy path to our happiness, that must be earned. Its our relentless spirit, solid courage, and hopeful outlook that compels us to continue the fight no matter what.

Our Deepest Fear

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” - Marianne Williamson




This is definitely another of my favorite quotes. Very often we forget how our own actions affect the lives of others. When we have the confidence to achieve, others in turn look and follow by example, thereby functioning as an implicit "pay it forward". Our actions can then have implications alot further then we realize.

Everything is a Miracle

This clip is funny yet really true.  A guest on the Conan O'Brian breaks it down.

How to Become a Millionaire

Great article and advice from some of people that have recently made their own fortunes.

Article Link:How to be a Millionaire by age of 25

Maktoob

One of my favorite books. A tale of Santiago, a sheep herder, that discovers that his future is "maktoob" (written). He travels to distant lands and meets many interesting people on the way to finding his personal treasure.  Its an easy read and captures the reader into the mind and thoughts of this sheep herder from the middle east.

What it takes to be Great

This article is interesting since it provides a study of various people who have been successful in different areas of life. It highlights some interesting common denominators between all these people.

Article Link: What it takes to be Great

Last Lecture

Randy Pausch was an inspirational professor from Carnegie Mellon University. After being diagnosed with terminal Pancreatic Cancer, Randy gave this "Last Lecture" to his students reminding them never to lose sight of their dreams. He takes them and us through his life and how he achieved his own really amazing dreams and touched the lives of so many of his peers. This definitely altered my perspective of things when it was first published.

"I dont know how to not have fun" -- Randy Pausch

Hello World

Typically the first attempt when doing something in the Comp Sci. world  is to write the ubiquitous "Hello World" program to gain a comfort in a new technology/language. So here is my "Hello World"...

People often say that "I would do this" or "I would do that" and they get all excited but then that enthusiasm and fire is quickly extinguished by the closely following "except that" or "but that" statements. Why are we so resigned to futility? What happened to the raw passion, to the insatiable hunger, and the spartan-like defiance of our own fears? We seem to wake from our sleep every now and then when there is breaking news in the media about someone who took the path less traveled and challenged the cynicism of the world.  The Mark Zuckerbergs, the Bill Gates, the Warren Buffets, the Michael Jordans - those guys must have been born that way. Surely, those guys must have something we don't. And its true they do - they have the ability to ignore the the obstacles, shrug off the "Debbie Downers". In the face of opposition they fought the good fight and through perseverance and hard work reached their dreams. I believe in each of us, we possess an incredible power that we don't wield with great mite we are intended to, but rather clutch and hold it close to our bodies for fear it gains too much momentum and becomes "impractical"

Everyone's dream is different and cant simply be categorized in a neat category of romance, financial, family,etc... I'm simply stating that within us, we can alter the world if we so chose to do it. We can paint our own portrait the way we see it. The beauty of life is that every day is a new opportunity to change things around us and pursue the things that burns in our hearts and minds. This superpower isn't just reserved to the blessed or genetically inclined, the MENSA member, or Nobel Laureate, its innate to all of us and is desperately waiting to be let out...

Oh yeah

printf("Hello World\n");
return 0;