Learning 2 Learn (4 the Kids!)
Knowledge is power, but the ability to acquire new knowledge is even greater power.
I used to be a brilliant mathematician. During my college tenor, I breezed through Calculus I and II without difficulty. But nowadays, I would be lucky to pull a C+, at best, on a basic Algebra exam. I’ve forgotten all about exponential functions, quadratic equations and something called FOIL. If you give me a word problem, don’t be surprised if I crumble right in front of your eyes!
So what was the point of me learning algebra in the first place? This reminds me of an episode of Home Improvement, in which Brad asks Jill and Tim (his parents) why he needs to know how to solve compound fractions. Jill, in a temporary moment of blind insanity, describes how she uses compound fractions to calculate how much milk and cheese she needs to make cheese milk. What the heck is cheese milk!?
Seriously though, most of us don’t need to know about compound fractions, chemical equations and those subatomic thingamajigs called electronics. We will probably never use this knowledge during our adult lives. What we will use, however, is the ability to learn new concepts and ideas. That’s the point of studying all these wild and wacky concepts—to learn how to learn! And that’s exactly what highschool teaches us how to do. College, on the other hand, provides us with the basic skills and knowledge base we need need to excel at our career of choice. But what happens afterward?
You are on your own—that’s what! For instance, if you want to become a computer programmer, then you can take college courses on Java concepts like objects and classes. You'll learn about Java and even get you a chance to design your own Java program. But what happens after you graduate, and you're at work, and the boss asks you to write a program, and your teacher isn't available to assist? What then?
Here’s another example. I write technical reports for a product-database company. It is my job to analyze products like computers, Blu-ray disc players and stereo systems, and then prepare reports that describe their features and functions. Before I started this job, I had never even heard of a Blu-ray player, let alone a DSLR camera, a stereo passive crossover network or a solid-state drive. I studied hard and taught myself.
Back to algebra. I may not know how to solve quadratic functions, but I bet you that given a few days to relearn the material, I could blast through them like SpamBusters! It's because I possess the ability to learn or relearn material, whether new or old. If it weren’t for the education I received in highschool, I wouldn’t have this ability. Instead I’d be stuck scratching my head and tummy in confusion.
Look.......while in highschool, don’t concern yourself too much about what you’re learning. That doesn't mean don't pay attention! You can choose electives that fit with your career aspirations, but don’t make a fuss about being forced to learn about world history, mathematics, and science, to name a few. The extra info you acquire may seem useless, but learning to learn it—that’s priceless!
Archie Comics Introduces a Gay Character
Jughead isn’t gay? (BADA BOOM) That joke sucked.
Market Trading
I was very successful with my trading this week. Plus I’ve decided to rely on myself, instead of depending on my parents, which would have been the opposite of my initial goal to begin with! Starting today, I am depositing $10 into my real trading account every two weeks. At the moment, I will literally be trading with pennies and, if lucky, nickels. It could take months and months and months before I have enough equity to command some real leverage, but that gives me a perfect opportunity to test my strategies with REAL MONEY, albeit very little real money.
Anyway, if anyone is interesting in getting into FX trading, here are a few basic tips from an amateur:
#1. Use METATRADER 4 for all your chart analysis! Everything else is TRASH.
#2. Use OANDA for your broker. Everyone else is full of SHIT.
#3. Never use more than a 50:1 leverage ratio. It’s not worth the RISK.
#4. Read, study and read/study some more. Knowledge is POWER.
#5. Learn patience and discipline. Otherwise you will lose EVERYTHING.
Movie Recommendation
Endgame is a 2009 British film that "dramatizes the final days of apartheid in South Africa." It was independently produced, so it looks like crap, but it’s well worth it! If you don’t know what apartheid is, by the way, then you need to study your history books!
R.I.P. Guru
On April 19, rapper Guru, 43, succumbed to multiple myeloma. Many cite Guru as a true lyricist/rapper, unlike modern artists, whom they claim are fake, pop-culture-based knockoffs. With all due respect, this belief is based on total bullshit!
80s rap was divided between two basic types of lyricists: the intellectuals and non-intellectuals. The intellectual fellows, like Guru, spread intricate lyrics laced with avant-garde insights, whereas the non-intellectual fellows, like Chubb Rock, for instance, wrote fun or even outright ‘gangsterish’ songs that did indeed sound poetic—at least versus the crude, unabashed lyrics we hear nowadays—yet were no different than the lyrics of modern rappers like Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane and T.I. It’s all semantics.
The precise words being spoken today may differ, but the general messages being conveyed still remain the same—whether for better or worse. So whether you like it or not, both “good” and “bad” rap is here to stay! So no offense, but get over it! And yes, I realize that I’m a total hypocrite for using a phrase that I previously disparaged.
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Anyway. I’m up out. Sighs… a few days after 4/20 and I’m out of you-know-what, even though I got $25 in my pocket. Ain’t that a B!? Betty White is getting really pissed off…. (refers to a comment I made earlier this week). She’s turning into Aretha Franklin! (that B don’t play no bull SHHHHHHHH….)
PS – Why do the families on Wife Swap bitch so much? They must strip away their normal life for only a fricken week! I’d love to drag their asses off to India for a MONTH and see how they like that! And why is it that the fathers ALWAYS magically come to their senses during the last 15 minutes of the show!?
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