For those of you that don't know, I recently performed a song-and-dance (mostly just song) number in Grantsville's Old Folks Sociable. Because I live a ways away, I didn't practice with the group until the night before. Consequently, I didn't know exactly what the format would be so I prepared a little monologue of sorts in case I had the opportunity to talk for a minute to introduce my number. (I probably spent more time thinking about my monologue than I did practicing the number itself, which probably showed). At any rate, those that attended know that the format didn't really lend itself to a monologue so I didn't do it. But I thought I'd share it here. If you don't like it or think it's very funny, that's fine. Keep in mind that some of my best "jokes" (my sister McKell likes to put the word "jokes" in quotation marks when talking about my attempts at humor) were censored by my editor.
Without further ado...
"So when Mrs. Baird (she was my first-grade teacher, she will always be 'Mrs. Baird') called and asked me to perform in the sociable, she said that 'someone' on her committee (she had conveniently forgotten who exactly) thought I'd be perfect for it. I immediately thought that either (a) my mom was on the committee or (b) someone was playing a cruel joke. It wasn't until I talked to my mom last night that I learned it was actually (c), all of the above. (laughter)
"So they asked me to do 'Singin' in the Rain', which was made famous by Gene Kelly, who was one of the great singers and dancers of all time. Interesting that they picked someone who can neither sing nor dance. (mild laughter)
"You'll also notice that I have a beard. It's a little-known fact that Mr. Kelly was originally going to do 'Singin' in the Rain" with a beard...but just before filming began he was put in the Elders' Quorum Presidency and the Stake President asked him to shave. (mild laughter)
"So yeah, I'm really not much of a singer. Vocally, I'm more of a Tom Tripp than a Tom Stam. (uproarious laughter)
"And choreographically, I'm really no Annie Millward or Alexis Watson. I apologize for using their maiden names but I don't know their married names. To be honest, that's how I prefer to think of them anyway...single. (booing and hissing)
"Thanks, you've been great.
"I'm singin' in the rain, just singin' in the rain..."
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Monday, April 4, 2011
Running without Going Anywhere
Since I've begun running, people are always surprised that I do all of my running on a treadmill. I typically don't watch TV (unless someone else at the gym has it on). I don't listen to music or podcasts because I could never get headphones that would stay in my ears once I started sweating profusely (note: this happens quite early in any run). So what do I do? I think. I figure fractions in my head of how far I've gone. I count down the remaining time. I stare blankly at the wall.
Anyway, a bullet-point list of why running on the treadmill works best for me:
Now I'm not not trying to convince anyone that runs outside to run on a treadmill. To each his own. And I know that when I run races outside, I'm going to be sore in a whole new way. But for now, it's what works for me.
Anyway, a bullet-point list of why running on the treadmill works best for me:
- The treadmill is easier on my joints. I figure if I'm going to be a runner for a while, I need to do what I can to take care of my hips, knees, and ankles. I've found the treadmill deck to be much more forgiving than pavement, road base, cement. I know some people live near nice, cushiony running trails. Good for you. I don't.
- I don't have to deal with the elements. It's not freezing cold. It's not scorching hot. The wind isn't blowing against me. I hate running in the wind and it seems like it's always windy.
- I can control my pace. I know there are advanced GPS gizmos out there that help with this, but I like being able to set exactly how fast I want to run.
- I don't have to carry water and carbs for long runs. I know when you run races, you have drinks and stuff at stations along the way, but when you're training?
- I don't have to figure out a route for how far I want to run that day that starts and ends at my house.
- No dogs barking and chasing me.
- Can it be boring? Sure. But I don't really see that it's significantly more boring than running outside.
- I can go to the gym, run, and shower during lunch so it's not cutting into my family time in the evening or forcing me to get up much earlier.
Now I'm not not trying to convince anyone that runs outside to run on a treadmill. To each his own. And I know that when I run races outside, I'm going to be sore in a whole new way. But for now, it's what works for me.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
LMMEFS
In the Richard C. Mouritsen family, we have an unofficial title, identified by the acronym (coined by my brother Carl, who has held the title for a few years now) LMMEFS. As you probably guessed, this stands for Lightest Mouritsen Male Except For Scott. (Since Scott is a few inches shorter and more importantly, has kept himself more active over the years, we didn't think it fair to actually try to be lighter than Scott).
Over the past 6-7 months, I have made some dramatic changes and if I haven't taken over LMMEFS already, I am definitely getting close. Below are some pictures to illustrate:
Over the past 6-7 months, I have made some dramatic changes and if I haven't taken over LMMEFS already, I am definitely getting close. Below are some pictures to illustrate:
The picture on the left was taken July 30, 2010 on a family outing to Lava Hot Springs. The picture on the right was taken February 18, 2011, about 6 1/2 months later. So what happened in between?
In August, September, and October of 2010, I trained for a half-marathon (I didn't actually end up running an official half-marathon, but the training seemed to do the trick). When I finished that, I had gone from ~230 lbs to ~212. After that, I decided that I wanted to train for a marathon, but I wanted to start at the beginning of the year, so for the rest of 2010, I just ran the pre-training schedule for a marathon training plan, which consisted of about 20 miles per week. I also started working out on my lunch hour rather than before or after work. For me, this worked out well because running took away a lot of my hunger and I began eating less, many times I didn't end up eating at lunch at all. (I am not a nutritionist and I know that this flies in the face of most dieting/weight-loss advice (although not all) so I'm not advocating it necessarily, just explaining what worked for me). By the end of the year, I was down to about 205.
With the start of the new year, I decided to add some weight training and formalize my workout plan a little bit. I built a running schedule that includes a marathon training plan and a half-marathon training plan, with parts of a 5k and 10k training plan filling out the year.
As far as weights, I do 10 basic exercises, all on machines (as opposed to free weights). I broke the year into 4 phases of 13 weeks each. The last week of 2010, I maxed out on each of the 10 exercises. Then I do two weeks of 3 sets of 15 at 40% of my one rep maximum, followed by two weeks of 4 sets of 10 at 60% of ORM, and finally two weeks of 5 sets of 5 at 80% of ORM. I then repeat that schedule again (for a total of 12 weeks). During the 13th week, I max out on each of the exercises again to prepare for the next phase. Here are the details of my Phase 1 weight-training. In addition, I do a few sets of push-ups, sit-ups, and curls each evening, M-F.
** UPDATE: Phase 2 weight-training **
** UPDATE: Phase 3 weight-training **
** UPDATE: Phase 4 weight-training **
Here is my entire workout schedule for 2011. So far, I've lost another 10 lbs or so, and set just a little under 195.
I'm not sure what my final target weight should be. I kind of had in mind getting to 175, which is what I weighed my senior year of high school. Jeanell thinks I shouldn't go below 185, which as about what I weighed when we got married. I guess we'll see.
Anyway, I know there are plenty of people that run a lot faster and farther, as well as people who are much more ripped that could give much better help and advice on getting in shape. This is just something I've struggled with for a while and I wanted to share some specifics of what has been working for me.
In August, September, and October of 2010, I trained for a half-marathon (I didn't actually end up running an official half-marathon, but the training seemed to do the trick). When I finished that, I had gone from ~230 lbs to ~212. After that, I decided that I wanted to train for a marathon, but I wanted to start at the beginning of the year, so for the rest of 2010, I just ran the pre-training schedule for a marathon training plan, which consisted of about 20 miles per week. I also started working out on my lunch hour rather than before or after work. For me, this worked out well because running took away a lot of my hunger and I began eating less, many times I didn't end up eating at lunch at all. (I am not a nutritionist and I know that this flies in the face of most dieting/weight-loss advice (although not all) so I'm not advocating it necessarily, just explaining what worked for me). By the end of the year, I was down to about 205.
With the start of the new year, I decided to add some weight training and formalize my workout plan a little bit. I built a running schedule that includes a marathon training plan and a half-marathon training plan, with parts of a 5k and 10k training plan filling out the year.
As far as weights, I do 10 basic exercises, all on machines (as opposed to free weights). I broke the year into 4 phases of 13 weeks each. The last week of 2010, I maxed out on each of the 10 exercises. Then I do two weeks of 3 sets of 15 at 40% of my one rep maximum, followed by two weeks of 4 sets of 10 at 60% of ORM, and finally two weeks of 5 sets of 5 at 80% of ORM. I then repeat that schedule again (for a total of 12 weeks). During the 13th week, I max out on each of the exercises again to prepare for the next phase. Here are the details of my Phase 1 weight-training. In addition, I do a few sets of push-ups, sit-ups, and curls each evening, M-F.
** UPDATE: Phase 2 weight-training **
** UPDATE: Phase 3 weight-training **
** UPDATE: Phase 4 weight-training **
Here is my entire workout schedule for 2011. So far, I've lost another 10 lbs or so, and set just a little under 195.
I'm not sure what my final target weight should be. I kind of had in mind getting to 175, which is what I weighed my senior year of high school. Jeanell thinks I shouldn't go below 185, which as about what I weighed when we got married. I guess we'll see.
Anyway, I know there are plenty of people that run a lot faster and farther, as well as people who are much more ripped that could give much better help and advice on getting in shape. This is just something I've struggled with for a while and I wanted to share some specifics of what has been working for me.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
My Facebook Credo
So I've been on Facebook for a while now and a little bit surprisingly, I really enjoy it. I like staying in contact with friends that I really wouldn't stay in touch with in any other way. In using Facebook I've developed a mental list of do's and don't's to keep Facebook enjoyable.
Now these are just my personal opinions so don't get mad or offended. While I do think everyone should live the way I think they should, I don't think they have to. Also, keep in mind that my tongue was surgically attached to my cheek years ago so take most of what I say with a grain of salt (for an example, see the previous sentence).
Without further ado:
1. Seek first to entertain. (Sounds like something straight out of Covey).
Isn't that the whole point of Facebook, entertainment? Share funny thoughts, anecdotes, cute pictures, etc. Don't take yourself too seriously. Share things that made you laugh or that amazed you.
2. Try not to offend but not at the expense of being a little bit edgy.
Don't intentionally offend people, but push the envelope a little bit. People can always unfriend you if they don't like your take or your sense of humor. I try not to post things that I think will offend everyone but I will post things that I think could potentially offend one or two. Sue me.
3. Don't use Facebook to tell people how depressed you are or how bad your life sucks or that you're bored.
Trust me, if you're bored, typing it into Facebook isn't going to alleviate your boredom. As a good friend of mine used to say, "There are no boring activities, just boring people."
4. Don't play the games.
Facebook is enough of a time-waster as it is. Don't exacerbate it by spending hours each day playing Farmville. Read a book, get some exercise, better yourself. There's a lot of life to be lived.
5. If you must play the games, please don't send me Game Requests.
6. Do use Facebook to bring awareness to a good cause.
I thought the Wal-Mart Fight Against Hunger thing was great. And other fund-raising efforts for good causes are great as well.
7. Don't re-post anything that includes the phrase "re-post this if...". Like "re-post this if you know someone who is great at kayaking" or "re-post this if you like pizza."
8. Especially don't re-post anything that says "I know most people won't re-post this..."
9. Don't have a cartoon character for your profile pic. You're just helping the pedophiles.
10. Don't post a list of how you think Facebook should be used. Nobody cares what you think.
Touché.
After publishing my initial list of ten, a couple more came to mind:
11. Don't post gripes or complaints about your spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, partner. Don't post that you're fighting either. If your relationship is in enough trouble that you truly need some support or advice, reach out to a friend or family member privately.
12. Don't post topless videos of your daughter, even if she is only two.
Now these are just my personal opinions so don't get mad or offended. While I do think everyone should live the way I think they should, I don't think they have to. Also, keep in mind that my tongue was surgically attached to my cheek years ago so take most of what I say with a grain of salt (for an example, see the previous sentence).
Without further ado:
1. Seek first to entertain. (Sounds like something straight out of Covey).
Isn't that the whole point of Facebook, entertainment? Share funny thoughts, anecdotes, cute pictures, etc. Don't take yourself too seriously. Share things that made you laugh or that amazed you.
2. Try not to offend but not at the expense of being a little bit edgy.
Don't intentionally offend people, but push the envelope a little bit. People can always unfriend you if they don't like your take or your sense of humor. I try not to post things that I think will offend everyone but I will post things that I think could potentially offend one or two. Sue me.
3. Don't use Facebook to tell people how depressed you are or how bad your life sucks or that you're bored.
Trust me, if you're bored, typing it into Facebook isn't going to alleviate your boredom. As a good friend of mine used to say, "There are no boring activities, just boring people."
4. Don't play the games.
Facebook is enough of a time-waster as it is. Don't exacerbate it by spending hours each day playing Farmville. Read a book, get some exercise, better yourself. There's a lot of life to be lived.
5. If you must play the games, please don't send me Game Requests.
6. Do use Facebook to bring awareness to a good cause.
I thought the Wal-Mart Fight Against Hunger thing was great. And other fund-raising efforts for good causes are great as well.
7. Don't re-post anything that includes the phrase "re-post this if...". Like "re-post this if you know someone who is great at kayaking" or "re-post this if you like pizza."
8. Especially don't re-post anything that says "I know most people won't re-post this..."
9. Don't have a cartoon character for your profile pic. You're just helping the pedophiles.
10. Don't post a list of how you think Facebook should be used. Nobody cares what you think.
Touché.
After publishing my initial list of ten, a couple more came to mind:
11. Don't post gripes or complaints about your spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, partner. Don't post that you're fighting either. If your relationship is in enough trouble that you truly need some support or advice, reach out to a friend or family member privately.
12. Don't post topless videos of your daughter, even if she is only two.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Resolutions: Recap and Recommital
Well, 2010 has come and gone and as I look back, I didn't do all that badly (although admittedly I was a far cry from doing well).
Below I give a little recap of how it went for 2010 and what I'd like to do for 2011.
Unfortunately, I didn't lose 30 lbs. But I did lose 25 and I feel better physically than I have for quite a while. My secret: running my guts out. I've actually started working out on my lunch hour which for me reduces my appetite significantly. Sure, I'm a little smelly when I get back to the office but that just means fewer interruptions and shorter small talk conversations.
For 2011, I'd like to drop another 20-25 lbs...get down to my “playin' weight" and see how that feels. I'm also going to do some weights this year where last year was exclusive cardio.
Run the 4th of July 5K in Grantsville (and humiliate all of my younger brothers and children)
I participated in my first Ray Barrus Memorial 5K and had a great time. Two of my younger brothers beat me, but one of them is a cross-country coach (or was at the time) and the other is twelve years younger than me and lost control of his bodily functions in beating me...for reals. So that means I only beat one of my brothers (because two were too big o' wusses to participate) but I handily beat my three older boys, their dad (fist pump), my sixty year-old dad, and my sixty year-old mom (although she was pushing a stroller). I also beat my little sister, but she had to quit because she was going to be late for work.
I went on to do a half-marathon training plan later in the year, which I completed and by the end of the year I was down to about a 22 minute 5K (where I think in July I got 25:30 or something).
For 2011, plan to do a marathon training plan. I didn't get into the Ogden Marathon so I don't know if I'll even do a "real" marathon but I do plan to run 26.2 miles in a row at some point.
Oh, and I'll be back at the Ray Barrus Memorial 5K as well, with a vengeance!
I didn't read 12 books, but I did read quite a bit. I finished Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. I read The Blind Side by Michael C. Lewis, How the Mighty Fall by Jim Collins, and worked my way through all of Malcolm Gladwell's New Yorker articles. I'm currently reading Andrew Jackson by Brands and am 1/5 through the unabridged version of Les Miserables.
For 2011, the book a month goal still seems reasonable. I'll shoot for it again.
Made it through Helaman while reading the Book of Mormon Institute Manual concurrently and most importantly got back in the habit of daily personal scripture study.
For 2011, plan to finish my current time through plus reread again.
Read all of the Old Testament selections from the Sunday School student manual
Not even close. We'll try again in 2011, but this year it will be New Testament.
100% Home Teaching
83%
Spend at least two hours a week on my Sunday School lesson (I feel like this should be more, but don't know where to find the extra time. You're right, I could give up Idol).
Ummm, maybe...sometimes. I did give up Idol but for unrelated reasons.
Does one count? Dropping the expectation to monthly for 2011.
Organize a get-together with old friends (these are friends I haven't seen for some time, not friends that are advanced in age)
No, in fact I don't know if I even saw any "old" friends.
Send out a Christmas letter (Thanks to Jeanell, we do pretty well at sending Christmas cards, but I'd like to use that opportunity to bring people up to speed on what we're up to).
No Christmas letter either.
A last thing I'd like to improve on is becoming more involved or at least aware of politics and the important issues facing our country. If anyone has good recommendations of websites, blogs, books, etc., please post as comments.
I've done a little bit better here. Just try to read from a variety of papers on a variety of topics. I've liked the Economist app on my iPhone. Every issue, there's a set of "Editors' Highlights", usually about 4-5 articles, that I can read for free. Usually, that's about all I have time for anyway.
Well, I guess that's about it for this blog post. Wish me luck for 2011 and best of luck to everyone else in their quest for continual improvement.
Below I give a little recap of how it went for 2010 and what I'd like to do for 2011.
- Physical
Unfortunately, I didn't lose 30 lbs. But I did lose 25 and I feel better physically than I have for quite a while. My secret: running my guts out. I've actually started working out on my lunch hour which for me reduces my appetite significantly. Sure, I'm a little smelly when I get back to the office but that just means fewer interruptions and shorter small talk conversations.
For 2011, I'd like to drop another 20-25 lbs...get down to my “playin' weight" and see how that feels. I'm also going to do some weights this year where last year was exclusive cardio.
Run the 4th of July 5K in Grantsville (and humiliate all of my younger brothers and children)
I participated in my first Ray Barrus Memorial 5K and had a great time. Two of my younger brothers beat me, but one of them is a cross-country coach (or was at the time) and the other is twelve years younger than me and lost control of his bodily functions in beating me...for reals. So that means I only beat one of my brothers (because two were too big o' wusses to participate) but I handily beat my three older boys, their dad (fist pump), my sixty year-old dad, and my sixty year-old mom (although she was pushing a stroller). I also beat my little sister, but she had to quit because she was going to be late for work.
I went on to do a half-marathon training plan later in the year, which I completed and by the end of the year I was down to about a 22 minute 5K (where I think in July I got 25:30 or something).
For 2011, plan to do a marathon training plan. I didn't get into the Ogden Marathon so I don't know if I'll even do a "real" marathon but I do plan to run 26.2 miles in a row at some point.
Oh, and I'll be back at the Ray Barrus Memorial 5K as well, with a vengeance!
- Mental
I didn't read 12 books, but I did read quite a bit. I finished Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. I read The Blind Side by Michael C. Lewis, How the Mighty Fall by Jim Collins, and worked my way through all of Malcolm Gladwell's New Yorker articles. I'm currently reading Andrew Jackson by Brands and am 1/5 through the unabridged version of Les Miserables.
For 2011, the book a month goal still seems reasonable. I'll shoot for it again.
- Spiritual
Made it through Helaman while reading the Book of Mormon Institute Manual concurrently and most importantly got back in the habit of daily personal scripture study.
For 2011, plan to finish my current time through plus reread again.
Read all of the Old Testament selections from the Sunday School student manual
Not even close. We'll try again in 2011, but this year it will be New Testament.
100% Home Teaching
83%
Spend at least two hours a week on my Sunday School lesson (I feel like this should be more, but don't know where to find the extra time. You're right, I could give up Idol).
Ummm, maybe...sometimes. I did give up Idol but for unrelated reasons.
- Social
Does one count? Dropping the expectation to monthly for 2011.
Organize a get-together with old friends (these are friends I haven't seen for some time, not friends that are advanced in age)
No, in fact I don't know if I even saw any "old" friends.
Send out a Christmas letter (Thanks to Jeanell, we do pretty well at sending Christmas cards, but I'd like to use that opportunity to bring people up to speed on what we're up to).
No Christmas letter either.
A last thing I'd like to improve on is becoming more involved or at least aware of politics and the important issues facing our country. If anyone has good recommendations of websites, blogs, books, etc., please post as comments.
I've done a little bit better here. Just try to read from a variety of papers on a variety of topics. I've liked the Economist app on my iPhone. Every issue, there's a set of "Editors' Highlights", usually about 4-5 articles, that I can read for free. Usually, that's about all I have time for anyway.
Well, I guess that's about it for this blog post. Wish me luck for 2011 and best of luck to everyone else in their quest for continual improvement.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
The Futility of My New Year's Resolutions
I am a very firm believer in New Year's Resolutions. Each year I start to think about all the areas I need to improve in and formulate goals that will help me to improve in those areas. Unfortunately, I am much better at thinking about and making resolutions than I am at following-through and achieving them. I sat down and looked at my list today and already I am failing miserably (and we're barely a month into the year).
Well, I'm regrouping and thought sharing some of my resolutions here would maybe help to steel my resolve (besides, one of my resolutions was to do a blog post at least weekly...two birds with one stone).
A few of my resolutions, by category:
Run the 4th of July 5K in Grantsville (and humiliate all of my younger brothers and children)
Read all of the Old Testament selections from the Sunday School student manual
100% Home Teaching
Spend at least two hours a week on my Sunday School lesson (I feel like this should be more, but don't know where to find the extra time. You're right, I could give up Idol).
Organize a get-together with old friends (these are friends I haven't seen for some time, not friends that are advanced in age)
Send out a Christmas letter (Thanks to Jeanell, we do pretty well at sending Christmas cards, but I'd like to use that opportunity to bring people up to speed on what we're up to).
A last thing I'd like to improve on is becoming more involved or at least aware of politics and the important issues facing our country. If anyone has good recommendations of websites, blogs, books, etc., please post as comments.
Well, I'm regrouping and thought sharing some of my resolutions here would maybe help to steel my resolve (besides, one of my resolutions was to do a blog post at least weekly...two birds with one stone).
A few of my resolutions, by category:
- Physical
Run the 4th of July 5K in Grantsville (and humiliate all of my younger brothers and children)
- Mental
- Spiritual
Read all of the Old Testament selections from the Sunday School student manual
100% Home Teaching
Spend at least two hours a week on my Sunday School lesson (I feel like this should be more, but don't know where to find the extra time. You're right, I could give up Idol).
- Social
Organize a get-together with old friends (these are friends I haven't seen for some time, not friends that are advanced in age)
Send out a Christmas letter (Thanks to Jeanell, we do pretty well at sending Christmas cards, but I'd like to use that opportunity to bring people up to speed on what we're up to).
A last thing I'd like to improve on is becoming more involved or at least aware of politics and the important issues facing our country. If anyone has good recommendations of websites, blogs, books, etc., please post as comments.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Outliers
Finally finished the second Benjamin Franklin biography I've read in the past year. Enjoyed it and loved Isaacson's concluding analysis of how appreciation for Franklin has ebbed and flowed based on the cultural climate. Since Franklin was more practical than romantic, many of the romantic era writers didn't express a high opinion of him. On the other hand, during the Great Depression, Franklin's sayings regarding frugality and hard-work caused him to be highly regarded.
After finishing that, I quickly read the latest by Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers, which I found fascinating. Some of the highlights:
Also, you can access an archive of Gladwell's New Yorker articles here. I particularly enjoyed this one.
For those of you that follow the Sports Guy on ESPN.com, he's also had a couple of email exchanges with Gladwell over the years. You can access the most recent here. And one from 2006 here.
After finishing that, I quickly read the latest by Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers, which I found fascinating. Some of the highlights:
- An inordinate number of hockey and baseball players are born in the months immediately following the "cutoff date" for their particular sport. For example, if players born within a calendar year are grouped together, those with birthdays in January - March are more likely to become professionals in that sport. The theory is that since nearly a year separates the players, the physical maturity of those older players is enough to get them selected for the all-star and competitive teams, which leads to increased opportunities to practice and better coaching, which increases the separation even further. This same type of pattern can be seen in education.
- Research shows it very hard to find someone who is naturally great at something and the magic amount of time that seems to be required to be excellent at an activity is 10,000 hours. The players with the early birthdays mentioned above get a leg up on reaching those 10,000 hours of practice.
- Bill Gates, despite having a brilliant mind and determination, came into some very fortunate situations that allowed him to get in 10,000 hours in computing/programming at a very early age.
- Cultural history plays a big part in our behavior. Rice farming which is very intricate and time-consuming in comparison to farming wheat or corn, helps explain a lot of the Asian work-ethic and success in mathematics. Gladwell talks about the TIMMS test that compares math scores between nations that is accompanied by a very involved demographic questionnaire. A researcher found that there was perfect correlation betweeen how thoroughly the student filled out the demographic questionnaire and how well they scored on the exam.
- Many plane crashes are caused by lack of communication between the co-pilot and the captain or the pilots and air traffic control. This lack of communication can vary culturally based on the power-distance index of the country, which is basically the respect for authority.
- Many of the differences in test-scores between higher-income and lower-income students can be attributed to their respective summer vacations. In other words, both groups of students are shown to progress equally during the school year, but during the summer, the higher-income kids progress significantly more than their lower-income counterparts.
- Advantages from having a high-IQ diminishes significantly past level of IQ needed to successfully obtain a four-year college degree. Once you are "smart enough", other aspects of intelligence come into play more.
Also, you can access an archive of Gladwell's New Yorker articles here. I particularly enjoyed this one.
For those of you that follow the Sports Guy on ESPN.com, he's also had a couple of email exchanges with Gladwell over the years. You can access the most recent here. And one from 2006 here.
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