February 9, 2010
a couple weeks ago in class, my professor repeatedly brought up the concept of an “intellectual entrepreneur” — someone who didn’t always have their head in the clouds as academics can sometimes have the reputation of doing, but someone who applied their breadth and depth of technical knowledge in one area to real, unexplored situations.
while we often think about “entrepreneurs” in the business and commercial sense of the word, there is indeed the entrepreneurial spirit that can be found in academia, policy, and law. we often hear about how things should change, how there needed to be a challenge and reversal of the status quo but what really stuck with me about her interpretation was the need to work within current frameworks and different analytical procedures in order to affect effective change.
the context of this was given against the recent google books settlement; a very cool idea in concept (read about the google blog post here), especially from an individual’s perspective, it would essentially give google the rights to scan every book out there and to quote my professor “essentially hand google the library of alexandria.” (a legal perspective against the settlement can be found here)
while the google books settlement case is deserving of an entry in and of itself, reading professor pamela samuelson’s argument against the settlement (you can download the PDF here) shows how samuelson — an eminent professor of law — has shaped a case grounded within procedures found most often in policy making.
and perhaps this is the approach that more intellectuals should take; i have always been fascinated by the intersections between different fields of study and the potential that exists in synergies combining business, policy, technology, and academia. perhaps the next challenge for academics is to take their research and work to the next level and to effect change in areas outside their expertise by becoming, like professor samuelson, an intellectual entrepreneur.
January 27, 2010
dear j-school,
i’m sure you mean no ill will but you’ve reminded me again just how important the way a message is communicated can be. you could have told me the same thing in similar terms and still retained my general feeling of goodwill. instead, your lack of initial communication added with your combative, rude, and slightly offensive e-mail tones that follow leave so much to be desired.
students — current and prospective — are your clients. for an institute that emphasizes communication above all else, perhaps it is time to take a cool appraisal of the communication and the message you send to your own stakeholders.
January 15, 2010
I haven’t considered myself a religious person for awhile but I’ve always loved this verse:
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. (Luke 12:48b)
January 7, 2010
20-10 … new year, new decade.
maybe it’s a bad precedent but i made no resolutions this year. i figured that whatever may come may come. and since what i had started out thinking i would do this year is now being questioned, i suppose it’s not such a bad precedent after all.
the cliche goes that two heads are better than one and that there is wisdom in crowds. as a believer in crowd-sourcing, perhaps i should put this theory to test, and yes, you guessed right — i would love to have you, my dear readers, to help me make the next decision 
as some of you may know, i’ve recently decided to leave my current career in pursuit of a new path that will allow me more directly apply my interests. as i stand now at a fork in the road, i’m curious to see what others would do:
on one hand you have an opportunity to do something that may lead you to find your professional zen in a role that is both exciting and new, and on the other hand, you have the abstract form of future opportunities that may be even more well-suited and perhaps most importantly, the absolute freedom of being able to pick up and move. which would you choose? (upon re-reading, perhaps this is a question more of risk aversion vs. risk seeking but still, i’m curious)
over the years, i’ve realized that the wanderlust spirit is a double-edged sword; while it creates a constant state of wonderment, it always makes you wonder what hills may lie yonder and what stories those unturned stones may yield. i have to admit that there are days where i miss the singular focused girl intent on being a doctor who somehow ended up never taking another biology/chemistry class past senior year of high school. perhaps singular focus, like faith, is a gift i have not (yet) been given.
January 5, 2010
options are nice but having too many can some times result in a crippling effect
January 4, 2010
to the man who collapsed next to me this morning,
i hope you’re doing better now and got to wherever you’re going okay. i hope that this year will see the beginnings of a successful implementation of a healthcare plan where you won’t be scared of going to the emergency room and get the treatment you need. through you, i have been reminded both of humanity’s kindness and apathy.
with love and best wishes for the new decade,
me
December 22, 2009
that stories trump stereotypes; that history always remains to be written; that some agendas are more transparent than others; that the journey can change with a blink;
that true friends are invaluable and give you pause long after they themselves have forgotten
December 15, 2009
it’s one of those fall mornings. you roll out of bed and you realize that you’re restless. it’s not that you’re unhappy – life has just become too … stale. everything is too routine. predictable. your only license to creativity is that discount percentage you’re going to apply to that billing report later today.
you flick on npr as you do your normal morning routine. the toothbrush almost falls as you reach for it and that’s about as much variation as that morning brings.
you read about the tragedies and triumphs in the world and you either think “how sad …” or “how great.” you want to be a part of it and contribute something real and tangible but rationale pushes it off. and slowly, you find your creative juices start to trickle. you feel that urge to abandon reason wane. you look forward to weekends as your sanctuary and a moment of brief escape.
and then you realize – what’s it all for. and you realize, true happyness lies in drinking a cup of mocha on a monday afternoon on the island of crete as you dream of and implement ways to make the world a slightly better place. and you start with the sheer satisfaction of knowing that you have followed your heart.
December 3, 2009
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
– Mark Twain
and i re-discovered l’alliance francaise last night — time to brush up on that french.
November 30, 2009
as i got off of airbart on friday afternoon as i have done so many times in these past several years, i had to stop in my steps even though i had less than 20 minutes until my flight. in between the row of cabs that waited outside the terminals hoping to catch some post-thanksgiving traffic was a man on his knees.
with his head pointed east — towards mecca — he was praying with a well-worn rug beneath his knees.
as i started to pull out my camera, i caught myself (but now wish i had still taken the shot) and was simply thankful to have shared this moment, however indirectly, with a man living out his faith, no mater where he was.
