An iFoundry blog for iSlam

Move over!

2009-12-15T11:32:00.000-08:00

To my new blog... at isharabash.blogspot.com

What does that mean for this blog? It will stay up, as homage to ifoundry, but new improved awesome content (including advice for all you schooly kids) will be at my new blog.

Video!!!

2009-12-10T12:41:00.000-08:00

I saved the best stuff for last... Below you will find an amazing drink my brother made for me... some video of iExpo... and a vlog

In reflection

2009-12-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

I did promise more blog posts than I actually did, didn't I? (I think I'm supposed to post a video too...)

Well, here's snippets of what you're missing out on (if you want more, just call me, 217-377-9657)

First some awesome advice from a Leonard Speiser, an awesome guy I met at NextGen.

"Lots of people have ideas, but few can show the ability to execute them, that is the first proof point you want for yourself and others."

What he says rings true, and resounds what Carl Chow (our HP contact) said over lunch... that ideas are a dime a dozen, but profitable and plausible ones are few.

So, from this point on I am making it a goal to follow through and execute, even if it's the small stuff.

Also...

The iFoundry experience as a whole was a positive one. Although I did disagree on some aspects, in retrospect my expectations were partially unrealistic. However I have chosen to be an iFoundry advocate, because I did benefit, a lot.

Finally, I have noticed that I read more in college than ever in high school, I also do a lot more, and days haven't grown to 25 hours, so I am more efficient. Interesting, huh?

More about writing

2009-11-22T13:18:00.000-08:00

I know I promised to talk about the NextGen conference, this is related

I have been reading the Evelyn Wood book recommended by Larry Chiang at the NextGen conference. I just finished a section on writing and I noticed a few similarities with the book I have recommended by Cal Newport...

They both advocate preparing material way in advanced. Furthermore, the Evelyn Wood book advocates mapping out your paper, like I have been doing with the back of the napkin techniques... nice, eh?

I have decided that the NextGen posts will come within other posts... My next post (possibly later today) will be about my goals for thanksgiving break, I am making it public to make myself accountable. I have also emailed and talked to a few people about those goals to increase accountability.

Finally, whoever does read this post, send me a shout out, this blog is getting lonely.

Trip was amazing

2009-11-17T14:17:00.001-08:00

I learned a lot. I have 2 minutes right now, so I won't go into detail. Pictures to come soon, and even better, what I learned.

For the time being, keep your eyes peeled.

More about writing

2009-11-05T09:15:00.001-08:00

So I'm beginning another paper for my Anthropology class (once again, instead of doing it, I'm blogging about it).

I just wanted to mention a few things... But first a context: This paper is open ended, the only requirements are that we use publicly available clips to investigate the beliefs about language...

So naturally, my topic is Borat, which is then expanded into Sacha Cohen's characters in general.

This should be an easy topic, right? What can you tell me about language beliefs and Borat?

So maybe it's not so easy... so here is where a robust writing process comes into play, thanks again Goldberg!

Using Goldberg's technique of free-writing, what I learned from the back of the napkin, and a few things I picked up from how to be a straight a student my writing process for this assignment is modeled like the following (so far):

Background info > questions > Freewrite > go back to info > more freewrite > Map> Freewrite on connections > highlight > flesh with quotes from before? > Revise?

Background info watching clips of Borat and Ali G :D , I have done a bit of that, and have also generated about half a page of questions. I haven't watched clips of Ali G yet, so that's my next priority...

However, the main point is that using a combination of techniques, I am going to take a topic as obscure as Borat and:

A) Apply it to what I have learned in class using back of the napkin techniques
B) Create a focused paper using a focused list of questions
C) Make the writing process easy using a combination of things I learned from the straight-a student book and free writing
D) Create an outstanding paper by breaking it down and working on it over the course of days (which is something I learned from straight-a student)

So once again, to all iFoundry students out there, I highly recommend the straight-a student book (no, I'm not paid), and if you want to be cheap, visit the authors site, study hacks, and use some techniques from there.

Note: I have not, and will not be revising this post, it wasn't on my calendar so it gets booted to the bottom of the list

Hi Jenny.

2009-10-28T14:08:00.000-07:00

Just a couple points.

1) Who said iFoundry is all about the real world? Sure we approach the world of work, but anything beyond the test classes was never defined, which is one of the best and worst things about iFoundry.

2) In the real world, at least for larger companies, engineers are not necessarily brought together based on personal motivations, like saving the world versus making money. Once again I say it starts with the product, and the project forms around it, personal motivations for joining a certain project should not be the basis on what the project is.

3) At the iChair meeting, and at the iCheckpoint meeting, I did suggest a forum. An actual web forum. Yes, it may not be the best solution, which is why I also suggested we formed a group around discussing this, and other issues. However I have only received a few responses... so if you are interested in discussing this, I'm ready.

I apologize if this post sounds a bit cold, I'm pressed for time so I'm going to neglect warming it up.

There's nothing wrong with struggling for ideals

2009-10-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

This is in response to Kevin's reply to my post.

I'm just going to mention a few points because I am pressed for time.

1) Communication...

I agree that the blogs are a great way to express your thoughts, but they are not the best way of communicating. I also agree that iFoundry has spread among too many mediums, so a forum for this year's students would go unnoticed.
However, blogs are not the best way for communication between two parties. Ironically, we are communicating via the blogs, but the underlying purpose of a blog serves one person, the blog creator.

The fact that you have to subscribe to others' blogs, and that iFoundry has a blog aggregator shows this is not the best medium for communication. I also agree that a communication network needs users, but where is the harm in making it easier for those users to communicate? Lowering the cost of communication for iFoundry students CANNOT be a bad thing.

2)iTeams and such

You misunderstand my vision. I did not argue that iFoundry should split us up into specific sub-groups, rather, it should not inhibit us from forming whatever sub-groups we choose.

You've also misunderstood the difference between a motivation and a product.
Currently the iTeams are split up among motivations, this means that groups can pick a product for a project, centered around personal motivations for engineering. I suggested that it would be more beneficial to allow individuals to pick projects centered products, and all students to sign up for projects based upon their personal motivations.

What benefit does this add? Group members would be able to see engineering from the perspective of their peers meaning they would experience different joys of engineering.

Finally, I never implied or suggested that iFoundry needs to supply us with excessive financial resources, on the contrary I was emphasizing the iFoundry staff as well as their connections as resources.

Kevin, I appreciate that you also take the time to read the iFoundry posts, and I suggest you look at some of the earlier posts to recognize, like I did, that I am not alone in the sentiment that iFoundry can be improved.

I also ask that we meet sometime (and somewhere with a white board ;) ), so I can show you my vision in full color, it would seem that there were many misunderstandings in my previous post.

iFoundme, with iFoundry

2009-10-24T13:05:00.001-07:00

Alright, maybe I have been a bit too harsh lately... lets focus on some positives of iFoundry.

First and foremost, iFoundry is giving us an already setup network of people in similar situations, that's pretty cool to begin with. The projects are also different than the rest of my classes, and a bit fun.

But the big topic of today is free writing and back of the napkin.

Wow! I didn't know writing could be easier... I hated writing in high school, but Dr. Goldberg's free writing technique along with Back of the Napkin make it easy.

I have a five page paper due Monday for my Anthropology class, it's not the longest paper I have ever written, but it will be the second longest. I usually dread papers...

But for my blogs and other writing assignments I have started incorporating the free writing technique. It's hard to get used to not pressing the backspace every 10 seconds (I still hesitate and have to consciously stop my self from pressing the back space). But once you get the hang of it, the words kind of flow and I can type while watching other people enter the pine lounge (where I am now), etc.

Although I planned on having this paper finished a week ago, that didn't really happen, and I only began free writing for a it a few days ago.

But here's the awesome part, I generated two pages of text, mostly "bad English" text... but I got all these ideas out. It stayed that way for a couple days and then I took a look at it again when I had a short break... I started reading what I wrote and because I have been using some of the techniques from Dan Roam I felt the need to pick up my pen and draw.

And draw I did, I essentially sketched half my paper in those 5 minutes I had.

The best part? I drew out separate concepts that I had wrote about, and found some links between things I didn't know existed... for example: Did you know cross dresser in Tonga, and peasant women in Hungary are strugling for the same thing? And one holds a beauty pageant because of it, while the other refuses to marry the peasant men? Yeah, I didn't know either but after drawing things popped out at me. I uploaded a picture of my paper above... (Note: some things may offend you... it's not intended to.)

Now I need to get back to my paper...

Last but not least I have a book recommendation for iFoundry: "How to Become a Straight-A Student" by Cal Newport ...I have not finished it yet, but it has been extremely helpful.

A problem with iFoundry, or a problem with me?

2009-10-20T16:18:00.000-07:00

I am now realizing why I foresaw problems with iFoundry... I have a different vision for what it could have been.

What I envisioned:
I saw iFoundry being a group of students who would pick things to do and have the support of all the iFoundry staff, as well as all the resources iFoundry has to offer.
My vision was for someone to say "hey, lets do this!" and anyone who was interested in joining in would join in. I didn't imagine that they would have to convince twenty other students and compromise what they wanted to accomplish.

I think other people thought that might have happened as well, for example a post over the summer on the facebook group by Roman outlined an idea to have course on programming for Android. I'm interested in that too, and others were as well.

Did that happen? No, instead those people who were united by a common objective were separated into groups. Could I contact Roman and the others and start a group to do that? Sure I could. Does iFoundry facilitate that? Not at all.

And this is why I saw a communication problem. Although there are things that everyone wants to pursue, finding enough interest is hard when the amount of people you can present that idea to goes from 100 to 25 or 20. It is much harder to find a common interest between less people.

I also foresaw the splitting into iTeams as not productive for another reason, but a lesser one. Just because someone else wants to serve society, and I want to be an entrepreneur, does not mean we can't work on the same project.

For example, look at the one laptop per child project. It serves society, has an aesthetic design, and has an entrepreneurial aspect, etc.

How? Well, the current model is that to buy one (the entrepreneurial end) you have to buy one for a poor child (the serving society end)...

What does this prove? That although we may have different motivations, I can enjoy the entrepreneurial side of engineering, while working with someone who enjoys the serving society aspect.

What is iFoundry now?
The teams are more or less separate. Within my own group, there is a rift between people who like the project picked for the group and the people who don't like it. The sentiment I have gotten from talking to people, reading the blogs, etc has also been that they can't wait for iFoundry to end, because there isn't enough time for it.

Of course, there is the other side, where people like what iFoundry is about right now, and so they don't mind putting the time in. But shouldn't we make iFoundry enjoyable for every member?

A taste of things to come...

2009-10-05T22:53:00.001-07:00

Can you dig it?

Lets do something big.

2009-10-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

Blogs are a lonely place. The iFoundry community would be much better served by a forum, or a blog forum hybrid. I will go into details with this soon.

Also, I believe separating out the teams was a bad idea. Now that I have had an opportunity to read some other iFoundry blogs, I have concluded that although everyone wants to serve a different purpose through engineering, which is what the teams are separated upon, the projects themselves that every group is doing could theoretically be the same thing. What this means is we have separated out the resources of iFoundry, and are forcing a break down of communication between the groups. The only link between teams are the iChairs, and I do not believe one person can effectively communicate a team of 20 people's thoughts to one other person, and then back to another 20 people.

Which brings me back to why we need forums. Forums serve two functions, filter unpopular ideas, and allow easy communication between a lot of people. What this means is an engineer who in the service to society team would post:
"hey I want to bring clean water to a city in Africa",
and then a person in the entrepreneurial team would post:
"sure, we can do that, but we would need funding... I have some ideas on how to make a business around that..."
And suddenly we have the other two teams also jumping in a group is formed with a common goal, and different motivations for going after that goal, but ultimately the group is goal centered.

Which has been a big problem in iFoundry so far, there haven't been goals to ground people with. I'm going to change that.

Pictures!

2009-09-20T12:23:00.001-07:00

Why does no one else have a blogs? jya?

Career fair and iBonding

2009-09-14T23:46:00.000-07:00

Hi kids!
Not too bad of a screen secured by Forrest, pretty sweet actually. Too bad there were... 5 of us? Something like that. We need to definitely do it again though... maybe with video games next time (lan party anyone?).

The career fair was also great, I think I *might* go tomorrow (today?) too. I'll upload a picture of me and my brother's attire sometime... Which reminds me, I have a picture of Kevin I need to upload. I talked to a couple companies and I'm really excited to pursue summer internships with them. I also talked to a couple companies, and ended with an awkward drawn out pause. I worked on my resume a bunch Sunday night but it needs further improvement (no I'm not going to work on it now).

I guess there's also the iFoundry class to talk about, it's okay, I dislike the idea of talking about interpersonal/relationship skills, when it's much more effective to just toss yourself in to build those skills. I think it'd be an interesting assignment to have everyone meet two absolutely new people (not in your class) everyday for a week. I think it's a valuable skill to be able to make conversation with strangers.

The check for that homework could be something simple like having a few of those people sign off on it (that could also act as an ice breaker, for those who are very new to that...).

I think I'm going to send everyone a link to my blog, I don't like ideas to stay boxed away.

First Post... iFoundry so far

2009-08-26T23:44:00.000-07:00

So, I'm making this post at 1:44 am. I just finished my math homework : )

In iFoundry community so far we've split up into teams... as far as the classes go, we also split up into mini-teams for the project, which I don't mind.

Now to address the iTeams...
I think they hinder more than help. Why? If you look at the iFoundry facebook page before the iLaunch weekend, you'll see that people wanted to do various things, like have an android class, or build things. The iTeams seem to naturally break apart people that had similar interests in favor of arbitrary qualities such as "service" or "entrepreneurship"...

The iRony behind all this is that the vision of iFoundry was a more well rounded engineer, so why would focusing on one purpose for engineering make us more well rounded?

Personally, I joined the entrepreneur group, not because I don't like service, but because I can't see myself working inside of a company more than a couple years before branching off and starting my own. Maybe it's inherited from my father, but I hate the idea of working a 9-5 job for someone else, how am I supposed to have time to take spontaneous day trips?

Okay, refocus. Like I said, I joined the entrepreneur group, but I also enjoy service very much, it gives a fulfillment that you can't really get anywhere else (which explains why some of my high school teachers were high school teachers).

So what's wrong with a bit of mix, I can start a company that serves others AND requires entrepreneurial skills, right?

I do recognize the need for structure, but I do not recognize the need for arbitrary structure.

Lets talk a little about coursework so far, the back of the napkin is interesting, I'm waiting for my book to come in to read more (thank god for google books!). The mini guide and the entrepreneurial engineer, I have yet to form an opinion about.

I think next post I'll talk a little about iLaunch, just remind me.