Inspiration of a teenager

In my teens I worked many part time jobs. All of us did. Nowadays, we see fewer teens working such jobs, particularly in the summer. To me this portends long term consequences. Why? Because those part-time jobs were an inspiration. How? They inspired me to study hard and find better employment as an adult. They helped me grow up.

This hit home hard decades ago, when as a college freshman I got work at Allen-Bradley, a local electronics company in Milwaukee. Sitting next to me at a heat-press to make resistors was the dad of one of my neighborhood friends. We made the same wage, about $2.70/hr*, a fortune for me, a living wage for him. I knew this made him uncomfortable, and me too. Here I was doing exactly the same thing on a job that took only a few days to learn. For me, it was study money; for him it was the last stop in personal advancement.

Inspiration comes in diverse forms. Sometimes in life, inspiration comes from discovering where you don’t want to be.

*About triple minimum wage at the time. I have always been grateful to Allen-Bradley for hiring hundreds of college students at a decent wage. It made college possible for many of us.

Comments

Behavioral Science and Problem-Solving

I. I. Introduction. Concerning our general behavior, it’s high about time we all had some understanding of how we operate on ourselves, and it is just as important how we are operated on by others. This is the wheelhouse of behavioral sciences. It is a vast subject. It touches our lives constantly. It’s influence is pervasive and can be so subtle we never notice it. Behavioral sciences profoundly affect our ability and success at problem-solving, from the elementary level to highly complex wicked problems. This is discussed in Section IV. We begin with the basics of behavioral sciences, Section II, and then through the lens of multiple categories and examples, Section III. II. ...

UNCERTAINTY IS CERTAIN

Uncertainty is Certain G. Donald Allen 12/12/2024 1. Introduction . This short essay is about uncertainty in people from both secular and nonsecular viewpoints. One point that will emerge is that randomly based uncertainty can be a driver for religious structure. Many groups facing uncertainty about their future are deeply religious or rely on faith as a source of comfort, resilience, and guidance. The intersection of uncertainty and religiosity often stems from the human need to find meaning, hope, and stability in the face of unpredictable or challenging circumstances. We first take up the connections of uncertainty to religion for the first real profession, farming, noting that hunting has many similar uncertainties. Below are groups that commonly lean on religious beliefs amidst uncertainty. This short essay is a follow-up to a previous piece on certainty (https://used-ideas.blogspot.com/2024/12/certainty-is-also-emotion.html). U...

Where is AI (Artificial Intelligence) Going?

How to view Artificial Intelligence (AI). Imagine you go to the store to buy a TV, but all they have are 1950s models, black and white, circular screens, picture rolls, and picture imperfect, no remote. You’d say no thanks. Back in the day, they sold wildly. The TV was a must-have for everyone with $250 to spend* (about $3000 today). Compared to where AI is today, this is more or less where TVs were 70 years ago. In only a few decades AI will be advanced beyond comprehension, just like TVs today are from the 50s viewpoint. Just like we could not imagine where the video concept was going back then, we cannot really imagine where AI is going. Buckle up. But it will be spectacular. *Back then minimum wage was $0.75/hr. Thus, a TV cost more than eight weeks' wages. -------------------------

First Blog

Search This Blog