Week 2 Review: Doing Research

Google Tips, from Laura Gibbs

I saw this and thought I would share it also. I do a lot of research fro the lab reports I write, and these tips have certainly made it easier. I also suggest using Google Scholar - it only shows you things like peer reviewed papers and conference papers, which can save you a lot of time if you are required to use those as sources.

Famous Last Words: Getting into Gear

My reading this week reminded me of the reading I did for Epics of India in many ways - Aesop's fables featured a variety of animal characters, also with unique personalities and motivations attempting to gain the upper hand on each other. Also, like Epics of India, most of the animals did really terrible things to other animals, though they usually got their comeuppance. However, I felt like the personalities given to the animals in Aesop's Fables were more complex and multifaceted, as compared to archetypal personalities like foxes being tricksters. At the same time, i felt that all the animals had the same motivation, which was complete self interest. I also read some of Hans Christian Andersen's stories, which really just put me in a bad mood with how depressing they were. Hans Christian Andersen was also where I started my Wikipedia Trail this week. Be sure to read that and my reading notes if any of this sounds interesting to you.

The Tortoise and his Therapist, from Cartoon Stock

This week was the first "real" week of my classes, and I'm sure that same was true for many other University of Oklahoma students. I don't have many assignments due this semester, Myth and Folklore not withstanding, but I do have more projects than I am used to doing in a usual semester. It's sure to make this fall feel artificially long. As the concepts from more and more of my classes connect to each other, I am finally beginning to believe that my teachers weren't lying when they said that they were preparing us for the real world, and not just giving us busy work so that they had something to grade and earn their pay. But, now that I'm settled in and back in the groove, I really am looking forward to the many challenges I will face this semester.

Wikipedia Trails: Hans Christian Andersen to Vertical Axis Wind Turbine

I was inspired by my extra credit reading to find out more about the apparently miserable person that was Hans Christian Andersen.

HCA, from Wikipedia

Learning that he was from Denmark did not surprise me, since it was cold and miserable when I was there visiting my sister last Thanksgiving. I also remembered seeing a large wind farm in the harbor when I was flying in that make the windmills in Oklahoma look like match sticks, so the Wikipedia page about Wind Turbines was my next stop. From here, I was surprised to learn that there are actually a number of blade designs, the most interesting looking was the Vertical Axis Wind Turbine. While these might look even more futuristic than the more traditional designs that we're used to, and they have the advantage of not needing to be pointed into the wind, the additional torque that these blades require to spin reduces the efficiency, keeping them from wide spread usage.

Week 2 Extra Credit Reading: Hans Christian Andersen

I will be reading Part A of the Hans Christian Andersen collection this week.

• The Princess and the Pea is a story that I'm familiar with, and I was surprised how close the play I saw was to the original story. Usually people try to remove some of the dark elements from these stories, but I suppose there was not much to remove this time. 
• I think the story of the emperor is sad. I feel as though he did not mean ill, he took good care of his city, but vanity and insecurity were his only issues. 

The Emperor's New Suit, from The Phrase Finder

• Most of the stories really are tragic. I don't really see a message in the story of the Tin Soldier, other than life sucks sometimes and you can't do anything about it expect keep moving forward until you die. I think HCA could have used some Prozac while he was writing. 
• The Wicked Prince seems like a darker version of Icarus to me. If you become to ambitious and arrogant, it will eventually become your downfall. 
• The Match Seller also seemed kind of pointless to me. I half expected her to accidentally burn down of the houses while she was playing with matches, but simply freezing to death while hallucinating was not what I expected. 

Thanks for reading with me. 

Learning by HEART: Improving Mental Health

From Laura Gibbs

I think this list contains a number of excellent tips to staying happy. It's easy to forget a lot of these things, especially when pursuing a degree with a high time commitment like Petroleum Engineering.

Growth Mindset: Driving Learning

From Laura Gibbs

Learning is something that has always come from a place of self motivation for me. Nothing, not even the desire to pass a class, is capable of making me study if I don't have internal motivation.

Feedback Thoughts

Graded paper, from Clip Art Kid

Most of these articles cover the fact the receiving feedback makes a person uncomfortable. It takes a lot of confidence to put your work into the public space, and feedback can feel a lot like rejection - especially when the feedback is more hurtful than constructive. Feedback has to come from a place of positive intentions. However, if the person giving feedback is too nice, the writer will not improve. Also, heaping praise on something that does not deserve it is not constructive. For review and feedback to work, the reader and the writer must understand each others roles, and must both enter into that relationship with good intentions.

Here are the four articles I read:
1. Five Tips for Taking Feedback like a Champ
2. The Difference Between Praise That Promotes Narcissism vs. Healthy Self-Esteem
3. Why rejection hurts so much — and what to do about it
4. Be a Mirror: Give Readers Feedback That Fosters a Growth Mindset

Week 2 Storytelling: The Farmers Pets

A barn, courtesy of Hobby Farms

A dog and a cat, owned by a farmer, both lived in a barn. The dog herded sheep for the farmer, and the cat caught rats. However, they did not get along. Despite the farmer treating them both equally and them both doing separate things, they saw each other as competition.

One morning after the farmer had come to give instructions to the cat and dog, the cat came to the dog and said "I can do your work as well as mine. Once the farmer sees this, he'll kick you out and I'll be rid of you forever". The dog, sensing an opportunity, agreed to the cats challenge. The cat went out of the barn to heard the sheep into a pasture. The sheep were not intimidated by the cat, instead they looked to him and asked "where is the dog that usually comes to move us along". The cat replied in a snarky tone "I am the one who will herd you now, so move into the next pasture". The sheep replied "why should we move for you, when the dog always treated us with respect and asked us nicely to move". After this, the sheep refused to move from their pasture. The cat ran around and hissed at the sheep until nightfall, but they did not budge. When the cat could barely stand up, he returned to the barn.

Meanwhile, the dog went to the rats in the barn and said "If we work together today, we could be rid of the cat forever. If you simply hide in the barn so that the cat thinks I have gotten rid of you. Tomorrow morning when the farmer comes to check, reveal yourself. He will kick the cat out". The rats, seeing the wisdom in his plan, agreed.

When the cat finally returned to the barn and saw that the rats were gone, he was pleased. With the sheep in the wrong pasture and the rats gone, the farmer would assume the dog got lazy and did not do his work. He then fell asleep since he was so tired. After the cat had passed out, the dog ran out to the field and spoke to the sheep. He said "Move to the other pasture now, so when the farmer comes to check he will see that I have done my work. He will also see that the cat has not done his, and kick him out". The sheep moved, since they also wanted to see the cat gone after their unpleasant interaction.


The next morning, when the farmer returned to the barn, he saw rats everywhere and the cat still sleeping in the corner. Livid, he woke the cat and kicked him out, saying "I won't feed an animal that is too lazy to pull it's weight". The cat defended himself, saying that the dog and him had switched work yesterday, and the dog had also not done his work. The farmer replied "I don't believe you. The sheep are in their new pasture. Not only are you lazy, but you are a liar". The cat had no choice but to leave the farm forever.

Author's Note: I was inspired by Aesop's Fables this week. In Aesop's Fables, none of the stories end "happily ever after", usually someone is tricked and ends up in a worse position than they were before because of it. 

Aesop's Fables by Joseph Jacobs.

Week 2 Reading: Aesop's Fables Part B

This week I am reading Aesop's Fables by Joseph Jacobs. This post will cover part B.

The Tortoise and the Hare, from Warner Brothers

• I think a big difference from other similar, proverb-esque reading I have done is that every animal is smart in at least one story. They are not always nice or malicious either. These animals seem to have more complex personalities. I have noticed that the smart and cautious (even downright paranoid) animals always come out on top. 
• I also think it's interesting that a slave is writing so much about embracing who you are, and your place in your social system. If he were born into slavery, it would make no sense. But, if Aesop was put into slavery as an adult, I can see how he would yearn to resume his former life. 
• I like how these tales focus on self improvement instead of relying on the kindness of others. I think it's important that people take responsibility for themselves. Also, Aesop seems to tell us that we should not expect much from other people, because they are imperfect just like we are. 
• I feel like many of these fables could apply to combat or warfare. If captured, you should not expect mercy. On that same line of thinking, you should not give mercy to your enemies, because they do not forget, and they will always be dangerous to you. 
• I think the idea that a mother should be punished for the deeds of the son is against what has been said before. It does not agree with the ideas of personal responsibility and nature vs nurture that have already been presented. 

In the end, I enjoyed these stories. I think that there are a lot of valuable lessons contained in them. 

Week 2 Reading: Aesop's Fables Part A

This week I am reading Aesop's Fables by Joseph Jacobs. This post will cover part A.

The Dog and the Shadow, one of Aesop's Fables. From Laura Gibbs

• I thought it was interesting how we were told not to disrespect the dying Lion, even after him treating the other animals so poorly. A lot of readings in Indian Epics espoused similar values.
• I like the how "He who wins writes the history book" is a lesson in this reading. It is a valuable lesson, and one that I don't feel many writers cover. 
• I like the writing that is in more modern language, and not prose. It is easier to understand, but I appreciate how the prose is shorter, and I can see how some of them turned into colloquialisms (i.e. The Lions Share)
• The Fox is again a trickster. This is a very common characteristic assigned to the Fox, even in Indian Epics which were written at a different time in a very different culture. 
• The second collection of Fox tales don't paint him as a trickster, but actually as quite intelligent. Familiarity breeding contempt is something that I have become very accustomed to in college. 
• I can see how the story of the Fox and the Mosquitoes can be applied to politicians, but I probably would not have picked up on it without being told. I think the story of the Fox losing his tail is more relevant to dealing with politicians. 
• I agree that the lesson is not to avoid being like the Wolf, but to know how to deal with a Wolf. The Wolf acts purely with selfish instincts, the only way to beat him is to recognize this motivation. 
• The desire to not be a slave is interesting when you consider that Aesop may have been one himself. It puts these stories about malicious tyrants and the desire for freedom in context. 
• I feel like nature vs nurture can be a dangerous ideology in some minds. It can justify a lot of awful things, like racism and slavery. Perhaps I lack the cultural context from when these stories were written. 
• I like the story of the Donkey in Lion skin. I feel like it is similar to "it is better to stay quiet and be thought a fool then open your mouth and remove any doubt". 

Thanks for reading with me. 

Tech Tip: Blogger Profile

I updated some of the information on my Google + profile, if your curious about me, click my name on the right and take a look. There's not too much info, you'll have to work a little harder to get the juicy details.