Mark Twain: "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so." www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/marktwain109624.html
Shakespeare and Twain. Two prolific writers and icons for their eras. Thanks to internet search engines, their words are readily available to reference vs. rattling the brain to remember what we learned of them back in British and American Lit class.
While the work of these two authors are available to the public domain, it is much harder to be careful with lesser known original works instantly accessible on the world wide web. I want to maintain the integrity in my blog of not infringing on the work of others while at the same time protecting my own original ideas. I don't want it to be the case that "It's what you don't know..."
This past week I had opportunity through my local chapter of NSA (National Speakers Association) of which I am a member to discuss these issues and concerns with Chicago Attorney Mark Partridge, author of "The Guiding Rights: Trademarks, Copyright and the Internet" (2003), and "Intellectual Property for Professional Speakers: How to Build and Protect Your Most Valuable Asset" (2009).
I recommend any of his work to enterprising individuals. It was also recommended to protect one's work, which of course I want to do for all of my blog postings August 2009 and forward, by notice of copyright by stating that this material is protected as my original work and may not be used or reproduced without permission and/or attribution.
Since beginning my "blog from the 'burg" I've learned of another such named blog and while it also appears under "Burgblog", it made me rethink my blog name. So far as I can tell "Cedarblog" isn't used, per se...so that may be the new name... or maybe a different name all together will evolve.
The rhetorical answer to Shakespeare's question in most cases, especially in the market place of ideas and money to "What's in a name?" is "EVERYTHING".
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
What are the chances...???
Summer finally decided to show up now that we are back to school in the 'burg. Good thing--with "Fall of Fun" in full swing, it's much more enjoyable when the weather is warm.
Not so fun is shaking the brain back into action. Right off the bat, I was working with a student on a math unit reviewing probabilities, odds and chances...and random events occuring and recurring and whether or not they were mutually exclusive. But not as in "...is this mutual?" or "...are we exclusive?"
When talking colored marbles or roll of fair dice, this was not so interesting...but put a relationship spin on it and suddenly it becomes much more intriguing. Certain events of the past couple weeks have given me a whole new appreciation for random chance and what are the odds of things happening?
So what are the chances in any given day that events play out a certain way?
Along that line of thought, there is a scene in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", telling of how one thing leads to another, and another, until an end result, and how, when recounted, if just one of those events had happened differently...an altered outcome might have been realized.
In real life, of course, there is no rewind.
I think about that (probably way too much). It seems that split seconds of time decide outcomes and that unlikely odds end up occurring more often than random chance would dictate. It's like having a wide open fairway that defies the odds when seemingly everytime that tiny little golf ball hits dead center of that skinny tree in the middle of the fairway.
So what are the chances... of meeting someone in the first place... is there that same sort of gravitational pull of people like the golf ball to the tree?
We've all met many people--co-workers, friends, spouses, or even death-- just because we happened to be at a particular place at a particular time (with the converse true too, we won't meet someone if we are not at a particular place at a particular time).
In the 'burg you can't help but run into the same people-regularly... but in the course of a couple of summer's past, some people came into my life through seemingly random events... and then as things played out and time lapsed--I had not seen them in quite some time.
Until the last few weeks in "flash from the past" chance encounters.
One friend happened to be in town on business and so we met up for dinner in the Big City (not the 'burg). We were walking back to the car when we turned the corner... and we happened to be, by chance, on the same street at the same time as another person from my past.
It was a person that I had felt badly about --someone who if events had played out differently they still might be in my life.
You know, when you can't help but feel there's unfinished business without the opportunity to resolve it--a person I had not too long before emailed that no doubt we would run into each other because even though it was the Big City, it was still a fairly small town. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon after saying that!
Surprised to see each other, we chatted briefly and then said we should get together... but that was talk at the time... .as we have all had... that you say it, but know in saying it that it won't really happen. Those are the ones you let go... no rewind.
Then a week or so later, I was in Chicago--the really Big City! (well compared to the 'burg anyway-ha) I swear there must've been that gravitational pull of the golf ball to the tree-- because the odds of events happening as they did would've seemed pretty unlikely according to what I knew of math stats 101.
There's a certain significant person with a recurring chance of showing up in my life, but it has been random at best.
I had my choice of at least half a dozen hotels in the downtown Chicago area to select from for a friends and family promotion, so I picked one because of it's proximity to Michigan Ave. We shopped, ate, and shopped some more before checking into the hotel that evening.
We went up to the hot tub. I looked across the pool and was in shock to see this certain someone.
We both looked at each other in disbelief and amusement--is that who I think it is??? Because of the situation, we couldn't find out for sure-- and I left thinking "omg did I just see who I think I saw???"
I anticipated at every turn the possibility of a recurring event...that the elevator would open up and it'd be this person... it was crazy, so I thought, "no, that must not have been..."
Neither of us had know the others plans for that weekend... the possibility existed, but it seemed highly improbable that we would be at the exact same place at the exact same time--but then again, that is how we first met--by seemingly random chance exactly to the date a few years before.
I sent no text, made no call to answer the question--was that you? At least not for about 24 hours until curiosity got the best of me! I said, "think my mind is playing tricks on me...could've sworn I saw you at the hotel...or maybe I just dreamed that?"
No reply. No surprise. That was predictable.
And then, the next day, the call came confirming the fact that it was this person. I'm still trying to do the math to figure out what were the chances...
...maybe sometimes life defies the odds.
Predictability serves its purposes, but sometimes it's nice to be surprised.
I just may go buy my first ever lottery ticket.
Not so fun is shaking the brain back into action. Right off the bat, I was working with a student on a math unit reviewing probabilities, odds and chances...and random events occuring and recurring and whether or not they were mutually exclusive. But not as in "...is this mutual?" or "...are we exclusive?"
When talking colored marbles or roll of fair dice, this was not so interesting...but put a relationship spin on it and suddenly it becomes much more intriguing. Certain events of the past couple weeks have given me a whole new appreciation for random chance and what are the odds of things happening?
So what are the chances in any given day that events play out a certain way?
Along that line of thought, there is a scene in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", telling of how one thing leads to another, and another, until an end result, and how, when recounted, if just one of those events had happened differently...an altered outcome might have been realized.
In real life, of course, there is no rewind.
I think about that (probably way too much). It seems that split seconds of time decide outcomes and that unlikely odds end up occurring more often than random chance would dictate. It's like having a wide open fairway that defies the odds when seemingly everytime that tiny little golf ball hits dead center of that skinny tree in the middle of the fairway.
So what are the chances... of meeting someone in the first place... is there that same sort of gravitational pull of people like the golf ball to the tree?
We've all met many people--co-workers, friends, spouses, or even death-- just because we happened to be at a particular place at a particular time (with the converse true too, we won't meet someone if we are not at a particular place at a particular time).
In the 'burg you can't help but run into the same people-regularly... but in the course of a couple of summer's past, some people came into my life through seemingly random events... and then as things played out and time lapsed--I had not seen them in quite some time.
Until the last few weeks in "flash from the past" chance encounters.
One friend happened to be in town on business and so we met up for dinner in the Big City (not the 'burg). We were walking back to the car when we turned the corner... and we happened to be, by chance, on the same street at the same time as another person from my past.
It was a person that I had felt badly about --someone who if events had played out differently they still might be in my life.
You know, when you can't help but feel there's unfinished business without the opportunity to resolve it--a person I had not too long before emailed that no doubt we would run into each other because even though it was the Big City, it was still a fairly small town. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon after saying that!
Surprised to see each other, we chatted briefly and then said we should get together... but that was talk at the time... .as we have all had... that you say it, but know in saying it that it won't really happen. Those are the ones you let go... no rewind.
Then a week or so later, I was in Chicago--the really Big City! (well compared to the 'burg anyway-ha) I swear there must've been that gravitational pull of the golf ball to the tree-- because the odds of events happening as they did would've seemed pretty unlikely according to what I knew of math stats 101.
There's a certain significant person with a recurring chance of showing up in my life, but it has been random at best.
I had my choice of at least half a dozen hotels in the downtown Chicago area to select from for a friends and family promotion, so I picked one because of it's proximity to Michigan Ave. We shopped, ate, and shopped some more before checking into the hotel that evening.
We went up to the hot tub. I looked across the pool and was in shock to see this certain someone.
We both looked at each other in disbelief and amusement--is that who I think it is??? Because of the situation, we couldn't find out for sure-- and I left thinking "omg did I just see who I think I saw???"
I anticipated at every turn the possibility of a recurring event...that the elevator would open up and it'd be this person... it was crazy, so I thought, "no, that must not have been..."
Neither of us had know the others plans for that weekend... the possibility existed, but it seemed highly improbable that we would be at the exact same place at the exact same time--but then again, that is how we first met--by seemingly random chance exactly to the date a few years before.
I sent no text, made no call to answer the question--was that you? At least not for about 24 hours until curiosity got the best of me! I said, "think my mind is playing tricks on me...could've sworn I saw you at the hotel...or maybe I just dreamed that?"
No reply. No surprise. That was predictable.
And then, the next day, the call came confirming the fact that it was this person. I'm still trying to do the math to figure out what were the chances...
...maybe sometimes life defies the odds.
Predictability serves its purposes, but sometimes it's nice to be surprised.
I just may go buy my first ever lottery ticket.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
