Lecture 21: Periodic Lattices Part 2

Lecture 21Periodic Lattices Part 2

brought to youtube by M.I.T's online courseware

Professor is Allan Adams

For more information about this professor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allan_Adams

I can not exaggerate the significance of what M.I.T's online courseware has given to the world. And by using the word "world" I believe I am being quite accurate. Classes such as the one pasted above are an excellent example of why "free" does not always coincide with "low quality".

M.I.T's OCW program is provided for free on youtube, which is also totally free to access to anyone with internet access and enough of a highspeed that they can watch  a youtube video without it pausing or glitching too often :)

I thank God for this access. And the more I look, I see that other Ivy League schools of higher learning are following this excellent example of providing free access for any human being to be able to virtually sit in on these university classes.

Do you value knowledge? Do you value your time? Increasing knowledge is a valuable expenditure of time. Do you agree?

An extra benefit of these classes is simply the mystical notion of "blessing by community"...or in other words...."the blessing of association". When you associate with those of great accomplishment and knowledge, (even if it is done virtually through your computer, laptop or phone) you are building up your level. When you respect knowledge.....more knowledge is attracted to you. You may even start to carry yourself differently. You may start to feel more qualified to enter into different kind of conversations with your colleagues or neighbors or those in the community....far or near. You will no longer be attracted to those who simply waste time.

What we value flashes through our eyes. Our gaze indicates what we are looking for. Our gaze leads us into greater knowledge and wisdom....or away from it.

If you are blessed with a high speed internet connection.....use it to fill your life with good things. Good connections, good mentors (yes, you can be mentored by those whom you have never personally met).....good examples, all will feed your life with the spirit of knowledge and truth and productivity.

Enjoy Friends,

Peace,

Carla.

How to Avoid Burnout when Learning from Ivy League Schools

What are some of the ways you manage your work load when embarking into Ivy League Schools for online classes?

One way I use, is simply by looking at the limits of what is available. Instead of thinking "Oh wow, I have to learn everything there is to know about Quantum Physics". I look at the course that I have chosen to audit and I count the classes....

In the above course (sampled above ) there are only 24 lectures.  So if I listened to one lecture per week (repeatedly if desired) 

Then it would take me just under 6 months to complete my audit of this Quantum physics Course from M.I.T. That is a whole lot more manageable than feeling or thinking that the class is going to last forever.

Another strategy is simply by taking advantage of every feasible opportunity to listen to your online class. Do you walk a ways to the mail box to get your mail? Plug in your earphones, download or stream your class to your phone and listen while you walk to the mailbox. 

Do you have a long commute to work? If you can safely drive while listening to a class, then enjoy your audio download while you are driving to work. Or if you take public transport, then try to download or stream your class onto whatever format that is portable for you. I don't care if you think you look nerdy for wearing earphones while sitting on the bus or the subway. I don't care if your headphones don't match your purse or if they are bigger than fashionable....it just doesn't matter when it comes to completing your goal. Set your self led learning goal and CRUSH IT!

When you make a choice to value your own "self led educational journey" you are going to discover the power of your own choices. The power you have to make a simple decision to continue learning .....no matter what age you are at.

Don't misunderstand me, I am not talking about "learning" just for the sake of preventing boredom in life.... No! I am talking about understanding that you can continue your learning journey well beyond your traditional school age years.....and that the knowledge you gain may just transform your life and career and investing path.

I believe it was the late apologist Ravi Zacharias who taught that there is "Unity in Diversity"....and that this is the root of the word "University".  I have gleaned from this idea and from my experiences in life, to understand and appreciate that when we build knowledge in one area of life, it also empowers and uplifts our knowledge base in other arenas of life. Why is this so? Because all knowledge is connected.

Well friends, that is all for now. I have much to do, and at the same time, much rest to enjoy. 

Peace,

Carla.

Using Your Memory Without Emotion to Build your Base

Over the years, I have studies how people study...how they gain knowledge and how they propel themselves forward. Of particular interest to me, have been those who have labelled themselves as 

"self led learners". It may be noted that many of today's leaders are great readers and continue to invest into their own personal knowledge bank by amassing books and other media with interesting topics.

Bill Gates, makes it a point to regularly travel with a load of fresh books in tow. His assistant is entrusted to pack his bag with his preferred list of new reads....ready for any long or short journey..

Anyway, back to my point. Today I wanted to chat about ....for lack of a better word..."emotionless memorization".

If you are trying to build up your own knowledge bank that is readily available for you to pluck data from on demand, it is important for you to able and willing to input chunks of information without getting all emotional and opinionated about the contents.

For example, If you wanted to memorize the mulitiplication tables right up from 1's to 15's....you may wish to create or locate an audio recording of the answers to all these "times tables". (that's what we used to call them when I was a child...)

Then, format the audio into a format that you are able to access easily in your day to day activities. You can listen to these audio recordings while you are driving (if safe to do so) or while you are working out at the gym or while you are riding the train or trolley.

When you are simply trying to input knowledge, repetition is key. Don't get caught up in how you feel about the knowledge or even the "quality" of the narrator. It doesn't matter as much as you think it might. Your brain is a living computer and it will store as much as you put into it. Try to refrain from getting bogged down by emotions.

Social media has inadvertently taught us that our "reactions"...our likes and dislikes are more important that the actual facts being discussed. That is not helping humanity more forward. If you want to become a person with a personal stash of facts and knowledge, then you may want to try out this method of blind memorization. 

Simply replay the recording of the knowledge of your choice until you are comfortably able to retrieve any of that particular batch of knowledge on demand. It will feed your vocabulary and your way of thinking during important conversations. 

This is why I am such a fan of M.I.T's online coureware  .....also known as "OCW". You can relentlessly replay these high level classes over and over and over ....at no financial cost and add these treasure troves of data to your personal data set. Yes, it costs your time. Yes, it costs you personally, as your social media "followers" may complain that you are not as "available" or interactive as you used to  be. Who cares? 

To make gains in life, we must be willing to sacrifice. We must be willing to invest time to gain what we lack. In this case, in this discussion....I am simply discussing the desire for knowledge. I am presenting the option of inputting more knowledge into your brain through "emotionless" repetition of audio recordings.

May this method will not jive with you and your personality. May it is too cold and calculating. Maybe it is too cerebral. However, it does work. I can testify that this method does work wonders if you invest significant chunks of time into it. 

It just might annoy some of the folks with whom you share air with. But do not despair. Knowledge is connected to all other knowledge..... Therefore when you gain knowledge in one sphere of life....it will bless and empower many other spheres of your life as well.

Be encouraged. Don't give up on building up your personal knowledge bank. 

Below you will find an example of M.I.T.'s online courseware, which is free for the taking from youtube.

Peace,

Carla.

They Were Just a Pair of Socks She Thought

But it´s just a knitted sock she thought to herself.

How can it be so important.....

But a voice inside her mind told her to not give up.  Some folks suspected she might have a learning disability, or some kind of attention deficit type of disorder. She couldn´t read a manual  for any new 

gadget she bought. She jumped from job to job and rarely stayed friends with anyone for more than 3 months. She was restless, with a constant hyper-ness one could only guess was connected to her all consuming coffee habit.

 

 But some dear older folks who lived a few doors down the street, began to notice her lack of direction and thought perhaps that her sense of accomplishment upon reaching middle age, was not where she wanted it to be. 

They noticed that occasionally she could be seen with the signs of frustrated artistic creativity hanging on her clothes and fingernails. Paint in her hair and smudges of ink adorned her flowing blouses. Once in a while they saw some well worn wooden knitting needles poking out of the misshapen hand bag she slung around her shoulder.

But hidden in her neighborhood was a Christian couple, who loved to pray. They walked so humbly in their neighborhood that most folks didn´t even realize that they lived on that same street. Enormous lilac bushes hid their wee bungalow from prying eyes. But this dear spiritually inclined elderly couple, bowed with years and crowned with frosty grey hair, with eyes full of life and wisdom, took the time once a day to pray for this dear woman in her constant disarray and confusion. They prayed fervently, asking God to lead and guide her towards the fulfillment of her potential on this earth. They prayed for God to grant her patience with herself and with her circumstances. They prayed for God to give her favor with others with whom she worked, lived and played. They prayed for her family members, that they would all work together in perfect harmony.

They prayed for this middle aged impulsively creative woman for a full 2 years. Yes, twas a full 2 years of ardent daily prayer. Sometimes they would even forgo a lunch time meal, in order to come before their beloved Lord to fast and pray for this woman that God had allowed to invade their prayer time. 

In due time, God allowed this compassionate couple to see what this wandering woman was capable of, if indeed she would learn how to focus. These timely revelations only stirred them up more passionately to pray until the spiritual burden lifted....once a day, every day for 2 years.

They prayed also for her character, that she would learn how to persist through with a project until it was complete, despite any obstacles that may arise.

It was after the one year mark of ardent prayer, that the dear couple began to notice changes in the   woman´s habits. They noticed she drove more calmly through the neighborhood and the shrubs surrounding her fence were suddenly tidy and trim. They saw her quietly sitting thoughtfully on her porch knitting what looked like a pair of pink socks.

When the elderly couple would walk by after dinner in the twilight past the woman´s porch, they could see her sticking out her tongue as she tried to focus intently on this pink knitted item.

The months wore on, and the elderly couple began to ask the Lord if their job of prayer support for the lady down the street was complete. Even though they had noticed concrete improvements in the woman´s ways, The Lord encouraged them to continue in prayer until the burden lifted.

I could go on. I could go on for many pages....describing the small victories that added up over time, because the dear elderly couple were faithful to pray for that one dear soul. But I feel that the story has just begun.

The pair of socks were indeed knitted...and they were a fine and fabulous work of craftsmanship. The woman who knitted the socks wrapped them in some delicate pale yellow tissue paper and laid the package carefully at the front door of the elderly couple that lived a few doors down. She had noticed that the older woman would walk down the street after dinner wearing brown leather shoes without socks. She began to pray for the dear older woman. She knit and she prayed.

As she practiced and fought her way through to finish the masterpiece, the intricately designed pink wool socks, she knew her task was complete. She proudly laid the parcel at the dear older couple´s door and tip toed back to her tidy yard.

The sunset shone a little brighter that evening. .....just bright enough for her to catch sight of a dear old couple walking slowly down the lane in the twilight after dinner. And in the haze of dusk, the little woman strode proudly  in her well worn leather shoes beside her husband, who held her hand. The pink woolen ankle cuffs peaked out above the brown walking shoes. The burden was lifted.  

The End.

Photons and the loss of determinism

May God bless those of you who have chosen to continue learning throughout your life....especially if you are way past your college or university years. I applaud you.

There are so many new options for these kind of self led learners.

As clipped above...this is any example of the free online classes that anyone with an internet connection can view for free. This past week, it also occurred to me to check to see if these classes have written transcripts and turns out they do!! So, now if I am struggling to spell something that I have heard in these classes, I can simply scroll down underneath the video and click on the transcript, find the corresponding words that connect with the timestamp I am listening to, and find the accurate spelling and wording.

Thank you M.I.T.

Thank you youtube!

Peacefully productive,

Carla

Don't ever talk yourself out of listening in on new things, things that you think are beyond your "ken".

Easy Cheapskate Hat with ONE Ball of Yarn

Hi Friends, I seem to back in knitting mode. And joy oh bliss, I made my way finally over to the legendary store called Len's Mill Store in Ontario, Canada. 

Not sure if these kind of stores are all over the world and frankly not gonna google it today. But hopefully you have discount arts and crafts stores or warehouses in your region of the world.

Since many years ago, I have gravitated to things that are easy to do, easy to learn and easy to master. Not because I don't like difficult challenges, but because I like to choose my battles. Knitting is a hobby, an enjoyable and practical creative outlet. If God allows me to make money from it some day, then so be it. I do so enjoy knitting and making something that is useful and I can taylor it to suit an ideal in my head and in my chosen budget. I will always be in the mode of discovery and exploration in the world of 

"cheap diy knits". I love the challenge of making something that makes sense to my wallet as well as to my skill level. I have refused to become  a "pattern slave" and make whatever I wish, whenever I choose. I do not compare myself to other knitters.  I knit for the happy of it all.

Did I mention that I don't really like to follow a pattern? I prefer to catch only the basics from better knitters and then make up my own designs along the way. I don't like the way modern knitting patterns seem to simply be a mathematical formula, which takes the creativity pretty much out of the equation.

With social media being so strong and prevalent, it is so easy to get caught up in some kind of bragging race to the top. But does this competition help us or hurt us? Not sure yet. All I can say is....if you are trying to create a hobby or art work for yourself to enjoy and to develop your own creativity, don't let anyone else set the standards for your art. Be yourself and create something that makes YOU happy....not the professional knitter on youtube or facebook. 

Knit at your own pace with the tools that you are most comfortable with.

 Knit for fun and relaxation.

 Any who, back to this simple one ball hat. All I used was one ball of Bernat Softee Chunky acrylic yarn. I don't really use the word "skein"....I still prefer to call a ball of yarn....a ball of yarn.

I cast on 48 stitches onto my metal circular knitting needs and I was off to the races. I did  a bit of ribbing with knit 4  purl 4 pattern until I felt that there was enough of a brim on the hat and then the rest was simple knitting. Eventually I  reduced stitches gradually by knitting 2 together occasionally with a bit of consistency until the crown of the hat was covered.  When I start reducing stitches I take care to do this with somewhat equal spacing between the reductions, so as to not produce a lop sided hat.

All the supplies I used are feature in the photos above.

I know that folks who like to think of themselves as "professional" knitters tend to use more fancy and expensive yarns, but for now, I am happy with using 100% acrylic...because the texture is consistent and the yarn does not cause any kind of allergic reaction to me or anyone else. And of course, this yarn is nice and cheap for a "super bulky" yarn.

The price for one ball of Bernat Softee Chunky yarn at the Len's Mill Store in Ontario is currently 3.99 per ball (you may call it a skein) plus tax. 

Other chain stores sell this type of yarn too, but at a higher price point. 

Well, that's all for now. Do you like to knit simple hats with cheap yarns? Do your friends and family wear them happily? Do tell!

May God bless your productivity and artistic adventures.

Peace,

Carla

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Cheapskate Review... Monthlies

This post is not for those who are trying to increase their monthly expenses. This is for the other group of humans who are trying to urgently reduce their monthly bills, so as to get a hold of their finances and have more money left at the end of the month.....that they can choose to spend freely in a manner that pleases them personally.

We live in an age of subscriptions. Everything can be ordered as a recurring monthly subscription program...... including cat food, online weight loss programs,  film streaming, social media memberships and gyms. If you don't pay attention, you may be paying for a lot more monthly subscriptions than you need or want.

So, let's pretend you are trying to completely eliminate your recurring monthly non essential services. What things can you do without?

Social media premium level memberships. Some social media platforms are requesting their users to buy a membership which "enhances" their usage to a "higher" level than the "freebie" loving general public. Do you really need this monthly bill? Is it really adding value to your life? I am not going to type in the actual name of these social media platforms, but you know which ones they are. You don't need to be paying for usage, if there is a basic "ad based" format still available.  That's maybe 2 or 2 monthly subscriptions gone from your monthly billing cycle.

(CHEAPSKATE HACK) I recently discovered a site which allows you to watch and enjoy everything that is currently on the ad-based format of a very popular social medial site.....but without the ADS! I was thrilled to discover this worked well. I noted that it did not have 100% of the same functionality of the ad based platform, but it worked well enough to allow me to watch and/or listen to many of my favorite recordings without the  distracting nuisance of ads. Ad blockers may also help you survive through other annoying ad filled apps. Be sure that the ad blockers are legit and do not add viruses to your laptop/PC.

Next, Do you really need to subscribe to a monthly film streaming service? Have you looked into cheaper and/or free options? There are several film streaming services that offer free or cheaper versions, such as Roku (with purchase of unit) or Tubi. I also just noticed an ad for a free streaming service called Plex. Is it any good? Have you used it?

Does your local public library have free access to streaming services? 

Does your local public library have free access to CD's and DVD rentals? Do you still own a DVD or Blue ray player that you can dust off and put to good use? Must we really pay a monthly fee for entertainment when free or really cheap offerings are all around us?

Thirdly, have you signed up for some kind of monthly delivery of certain goods? Certain foods, or hats, or wine or cheese tastings? There is nothing wrong with any of these expenses, as long as we can afford them. I have even seen monthly subscriptions to dress or clothing rental programs. Don't sign up for these type of things carelessly by just throwing them on a credit card. Use these type of services when you can afford to use them. These monthly bills add up. Do the math today and add them all up. Print up a statement, a hard black and white copy of one month of transactions on your bank accounts and credit cards. Write down each one that make a debit deduction on a monthly basis. Add them all up. How much is being deducted automatically from your bank accounts and/or credit cards? How many did you find?  

I want you to be sure that you really want or need the items that you are paying for on a monthly basis. When you take control of your monthly bills, you may discover that you have more funds left over at the end of the month that you can use for investing or vacations or for building up a reserve fund to pay for those things we can't always predict....such as car repairs or a new lawn mower, or a better health care option.

Make your money obey YOUR own  commands....not the expectations of the ad companies that have targeted you because of your income or lifestyle profile. Algorithms are ruthless in how they target us night and day. Use discipline and self control to choose when and how you spend/save your money. Make your money make sense.

Have you signed up for magazine or newspaper subscriptions that you rarely read? Cancel them unless you use them often. Public libraries offer free alternatives, many of which may now be accessed online in the comfort of your own home. You can also buy a newspaper straight from your local convenience store, without subscribing to anything. Keep freedom in your wallet, and buy things without a monthly commitment.

Charities may target you with their fund raising appeals because you live in a certain area code. They may specifically ask you to become a monthly automatic donor. Be careful of these type of arrangements. An automated charitable gift will have the right to take money from your account because you have authorized their organization to do so. The system then becomes dehumanized and will continue to take your monthly donations even if you find yourself in a tight financial bind. I am not telling you to become selfish. I am not telling you to not give. But I am telling you to give on your own time table and in your own style. Don't let the person or organization who is the receiver of your generosity, determine how you give. Don't be manipulated by promises of "special premium donor status" which try to convince you to give higher amounts of money. If you want to give large amounts of money away, please go ahead and do so, but do so because YOU have chosen to do so, not because someone has manipulated you into making you feel guilty for the blessings you have. Do the charities you sponsor show proper gratitude for your gifts? Thankfulness and gratitude for your generosity is essential. Make sure to expect and accept thanks from those whom have benefited from your charitable giving.

Give when and how you choose, and in the amount you can afford.

If you prefer to write an old fashioned check, because it helps you balance your budget, then do that. You don't need to give in the manner that a certain charity prefers. Give as YOU choose, because God has given YOU authority over your own finances. There is a reason that you have what you have. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Last, but not least, have you signed up for a gym membership that you never go to? I have heard a horror story about a woman who cancelled her gym membership only to discover that the gym still kept taking money out of her account every month. She finally had to go to the bank in person to have the matter dealt with. Some folks have had to cancel their bank accounts, because a gym refused to cancel their monthly bill payments. Be careful what you sign up for, especially if it requires a monthly payment. Some gyms allow you to pay up front for one day or one week of usage. This allows greater control over someone who only needs a gym once in a while.

Well friends, that's all for now. My rant is done. I hope that you are prospering and enjoying all the beautiful things and wealth that you have....on your own terms and on your own time schedule. Be well :)

Peace,

Carla. 

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