We are at the beginning of a renaissance. The web has brought a great opportunity for learning and expanding knowledge. There are many reknowned universities that have started offereing some of their most popular couses online for free.

Of course, they aren’t accredited. More for just the curious learner, but a great way to learn some of the subjects you’ve always been interested in but couldn’t go back to school for.  You can watch or listen to lectures, view reading lists, syllabus, quizzes and test.

I will try to make an ongoing list of availible cources from different schools around the interwebs. I will try also try to make comments on the courses I am working on/have worked on.

Computer Sciences
Programming Methodology - CS106A - Stanford School of Engineering
Programming Abstractions - CS106B - Stanford School of Engineering
Programming Paradigms - CS107 - Stanford School of Engineering

Artificial Intelligence
Introduction to Robotics - CS223A - Stanford School of Engineering
Natural Language Processing - CS224N - Stanford School of Engineering
Machine Learning - CS229 - Stanford School of Engineering

Linear Systems and Optimization
The Fourier Transform and its Applications - EE261 - Stanford School of Engineering
Introduction to Linear Dynamical Systems - EE263 - Stanford School of Engineering
Convex Optimization I - EE364A - Stanford School of Engineering
Convex Optimization II - EE364B - Stanford School of Engineering

It is a huge learning process for me. Do you want to see, come on over to http://theGardn.com.

I was always okay with being amused, but there was always something else that I could be doing too. I heard a great definition of the word amuse or amused or amusing: To muse means to be creative and thing and write and do. When you put the letter “a” in front of a word it makes it the opposite (easiest example: someone who believes in God is a theist. Someone who doesn’t is an atheist). So to be amused means to not thing or be creative. When I learned that definition what a turning point for me.

Another turning point may have just happened. I caught this video of a man I’d never heard of speaking at a conference about. The title of the lecture was “Gin, Television and a Social Surplus”. He talked about how during the industrial revolution, because of the huge social changes in profession and time management, a whole generation got lost to the only thing they thought of to fill the time - Gin. The past few decades we have done the same thing only thru television. And it is now, with the internet, that we are starting to break out of this amused lifestyle. That we are starting to DO and Produce and Share again.

I like how he oversimplifies that idea: It’s better to Do than to not do.
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This is the same with alot of things for us. When the outcome (results) don’t measure up to the expected outcome (goal) for the level of work (input) we will mostly move on to the next thing. There are alot of times when this is good. It’s not a good idea to continue a pursuit of something that is never going to payoff. But it’s also not a good idea to be a quiter either.

For me, this has been the case with weight loss and blogging this year. It’s been tough going on 3 months with less than 10lbs. Eating less. Moving more. I’m an eater. I love to eat so this hasn’t been fun. Last week I eat right and even started running. So I was very frustrated to find I had gained weight for the second week. This week I did no extra excersizing and didn’t really mind what I eat. And I lost. Not alot, but a bit. A bit is better than nothing.

And with my blog, nothing better. I started out running. I was going to have a very successful blog. I was going to have lots of readers and make lots of money. I worked on it every night. I wrote and I studied and I reviewed. I was always working on it. Obsesive you might call it.

But then the results didn’t match the work I was putting in. It was getting too complicated and the payout didn’t match the input. So, I’ve considered quiting. I know I don’t want to so instead I just don’t do anything. I’ve been reading more and more tips to keep me motivated or to try some new things.

So, I’m not quiting, I’m just not doing much. It’s been almost a month since my last post. Hopefully within a month, I will write more.

This year, I wasn’t going to set have resolutions, I was setting for myself commitments. I thought, to me, I was much better at sticking with something when I made a commitment to something. “To resolve” something didn’t have in impact on my actions. And so far, it’s been true. I have changed or started quite a few actions. This is good right?

Well, sort of. Some of those actions include starting this blog, loosing weight/exercising more, increase my daily sales at work, and others. Really, on the surface I have been doing pretty well. I did start this blog at the beginning of January and have filled it with 27 posts and quite a few readers. I have been eating better and being mindful of moving more and have lost about 11 pounds. Where I really feel good is in sales – I have almost doubled my daily sales from what they were last year.

Now, how things look on the surface is different than what’s really going on. It may look like I’m sticking with my commitments, and I am, but I’m not REALLY committed to them. If I were really committed, I would have much more content in my blog, have lost about twice what I’ve lost, and wouldn’t have fears that the increase in sales income has more to do with tax season and less with gained skills.

When I set these commitments, that’s all I did. I told myself I was going to do these things. Only on one out of three did I tell myself to what degree I was going to do them. Only in my sales job did I tell myself I was going to go from $600000 in sales to $820000 and so far I’m on track. The other two, I just hopped in and started doing what I needed to do to check them off the list, but didn’t give myself goals and deadlines.

Also, on NPR this morning was a discussion on what they called “Prospect Theory”. This was an idea that we are more likely to keep our goals if there is loss associated with them. For instance, For me, looking at my weight loss as “Am I getting my $40 a month out of the weight loss program or am I just wasting $40 a month?”. Since looking at it like that, I feel a little more motivated (not quite wanting to go for a run but motivated still).

For blogging, I could look at it as my domain and hosting costs. I’m loosing an estimated $20 a month? I need to try to recoup that in revenue? Or is my blog more of a hobby?

Right now, I’m searching for my motivation. I know it happens to every blogger, but it’s irritating. I’m not disciplined enough to pump out articles every day and do all the things I need to do to keep this blog going.

Now don’t think I’m quiting, I’m just stuck. I will get going again soon, but I’m stuck right now. So, how do I get unstuck?

1- You should be involved and know where your money is going. If you give to a church (as the Bible says you should) ask, what good are they doing with the money? Of course, a portion is paying the lights and the heat and the salaries, but look at a couple other things. Are people being brought into a closer relationship with God? Are people being helped outside the walls of the building? If you don’t know where the money is going and the information isn’t easily accessable, why choose that church? Also, if you don’t see lives being changed inside and outside the church, again, why do you choose that church? I am very comfortable when I give to my church. They are very clear about where the money is going. Also, they are arranged where many of the internal bills are paid for by tenants in the facilities the church owns. There are lives being changed inside the church, in the community, around the country and around the world.

2 - If you don’t give to a church, investigate other groups to give to. AIDS relief in Africa. Red Cross. Habitat for Humanity. Find a cause that strikes a chord in you. Investigate it to make sure the are reputable and honest. www.charitynavigator.org is a good way to do this investigating.

3 - If you would rather be even more hands on with your giving, that is great. Check out these ideas: random acts of kindness or pay it forward. There are lots of ways to do it.

Get everyone in the family involved. Giving is a big decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly. You should not make this decision without your spouse. Also, this is an important value for our children to learn. They will learn it by being involved. The second is not to worry. I don’t know how to explain it, but one important part of giving is not to worry. Giving has a huge potential for joy. But worrying about the money gone seems to demminish the joy of knowing your helping others. Also, as most tithing Christians know, there is no need to worry. God always seems to make sure you never miss your money. It’s as if He knows that for many of us Paying My Selfless almost feels like a risk to give, so God blesses us for taking a risk, so we begin to see giving as a blessing. If you are interested, here are a few (of over 800) pieces of scripture about money and giving.

1 Timothy 6:6-7, 17-19 — “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. … Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”

Luke 12:15-17a, 19b-21, 33 — “Then he said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.’ And he told them this parable: ‘The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, … ”[I] have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.“ But God said to him, ”You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you.“ This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God. … Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will not be exhausted, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. …’ ”

Malachi 3:8-10 — “ ‘Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ”How do we rob you?“ In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.’ ”

Acts 20:35b — “[T]he Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

Proverbs 19:17 — “He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.”

James 1:27 — “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

I know this is a controversial topic, and I want to hear what you have to say. So, let’s discuss in the comments.

The idea is that giving yourself more time between posting means that your readers will be hungry for your next post, less stress, and that your posts will be of better quality because you’ve had more time to work on it researching, writing, proofing, etc.

For me, though, it meant more time to sit watching tv and reading, and no attention for posting. It’s been over half a month since I’ve blogged, commented or really anything related to Lernr. The only thing I’ve been doing is checking my declining stats and income. That is not my goal.

I have read a couple websites lately that are talking about treating your blog like you’re a professional writer working on a novel. These tips (specifically for writing papers for school) include

1. Spread out work on an assignment over several days. Coming at it fresh increases its quality.
2. During these days, get up early. Probably earlier than you are used to. Say, around 7 or 8 am. (This means these days will be weekdays, probably early in the week so you can avoid temptations to party the night before).
3. Have a mini-ritual to jump start the day. It should probably involve coffee. Breakfast. Maybe the morning paper. Don’t take too long.
4. Go to the most isolated place possible.
5. To get your mind ready to think, review the last pages you wrote.
6. Work for two or three hours. Then stop.
7. Follow this habit regularly. Don’t write during other times. Don’t write in public places. Don’t start writing the day before.

I’ve noticed my overall desire for the site to have drained because I didn’t have any deadlines. I had at one time wanted to post 3-4 posts per week, but with the new relaxed schedule, I found myself not posting at all because the deadline really wasn’t specific enough. I think deadlines are important. I’ve always been that way. I’m a born procrastinator, but I will always get things done if I have a deadline. So, I’m going back to trying to get a post published every 2 days. Starting now…

I actually had to read this ad a couple times to make sure I wasn’t miss reading it. And, I wish I had. Now that I know what it says, I’m hurt. My feeling are shaken and hurt. All the time and energy I pour into the content of this site. All the blood sweet and tears. And this. AND THIS!

I don’t know if I can do it any more. I don’t know if it’s worth it.

I though me and the GOOG had a connection. I thought we were friends, palls, bros. Maybe they are trying to tell me something. You know, drop little hints to let me know what they really think of me.

They could have given me an ad for something like “Try Hard But Fail Casino” or “Take this pill to see yourself for how you really are” but to give me an ad for “Composting Toilets”?

WHY ME? WHAT HAVE I DONE TO YOU GOOGLE!

I’ve been considering changing my theme to something that was a little more reminiscent of being in school. I thought that would tie in better with the idea of my blog - learning all different subjects and putting those topics learned into practice. The great people at ABF advised me not to do so.

I didn’t think of it at first, but this advice really is right. The basis of it is that not all people have good memories of school and most self-learners (like myself) are those people who won’t really connect learning with school. There are many people who learn(ed) best outside of school thru different channels and methods.

My Dear Wife and I have had this conversation. We don’t yet have children (she says she is having one with or without me) but one of our concerns is will we do the normal thing and send them off to public school (like both of us were). Do we have them attend a Christian school. Or do we home school.

Each option has it’s pros and cons. We both went thru public school and (although I loved to learn new things but was an awful traditional student) we didn’t turn out too bad. And we do have at least 3 great local Christian schools. They all have great academics and great extracurricular programs. But not one of them is very affordable. Home-schooling is something we’ve been intrigued with lately. But we’ve also been apprehensive about it because we didn’t know much about it. But then I stumbled on a website to help.

In youth ministry, I was always looking for a curriculum package that made the role of educator and staff administrator as easy as possible. To be able to set up a month or more of curriculum for myself and my teachers as well as a way to track progress and concerns was something that was very important to me. To have an on-demand help center was even better. StudentLife (which is now a part of Youth Specialties) did this for me.o

When it comes to home-schooling, I would like the same set up. The Southern Baptist Academy Homeschool is a website that accomplishes what I am (or will be) looking for. This website takes all the work out of setting up a home-schooling system. From day to day lesson plans that extend beyond the textbook with video and web information, to a social center where the parent can find ways to socialize their kids. There is even support thru the academic counselors.

My Dear Wife and I are still pretty far away from actually needing a service like this, but it looks like The Southern Baptist Academy Homeschool is on the leading edge of what parents like me will be looking for. I’m interested in seeing what the future holds here.