SIMPLICITY

We’re Not Dumb, Just Overwhelmed

Do you look at your cell phone, MP3 player, software for your PC or the remote control for your new HDTV and wonder “where do I start?” With every new device, more features are added, the manual becomes a little bit thicker and the learning curve seems to get steep again. And just when you thought you had everything under control!

The economics of business is straightforward: either charge high prices for your product or find more customers. In consumerism, many of the things we buy go down in price over time unless more features are added. Companies can’t always charge more so they try to appeal to customers with a litany of options. Hence, more buttons, more menu options and an increased likelihood that we’ll never use all the options.

To be honest, we have to feel fortunate that until the mid-1980’s, there was only one communication company (AT&T) and basically, one computer company (IBM). By having a monopoly, AT&T set the standards for all phone calls. Regardless if you were calling across the street or across the world, the communication standard was set and quickly understood. Think about it: with one finger, you could instantly make a phone call from anywhere in the world even if you had no idea how to understand the native language. The numbers, the circular wheel to dial the numbers and the receiver were all standard. Making a call was simple; expensive but simple.

We are fortunate that there was only one standard for telephones. If it was hard to complete calls in the early 1900’s, people were too busy working to bother learning seemingly useless devices. In early 20^th century America, everyone you wanted to talk to was either with you or down the street! A complex telephone would have disappeared and radically changed the next 100 years.

The easy-to-use telephone and its singular standard allowed the adoption of the device to proliferate. There was no battle of VHS versus Betamax, HD-DVD versus Blu-Ray or Apple versus PC. The telephone was simple and quickly learned even by 3 year olds. When AT&T was dismembered into the “baby bells”, the standards didn’t change. As a result, consumers didn’t need to re-learn how to use the phone. But they did benefit from more competition and lower prices.

Recently I purchased a new portable phone for my kitchen. The manual was less than 4 pages and what I needed to do first was obvious. After charging the battery, I connected one wire, placed the phone on the wall mount and stated making phone calls. A very simple process taking only minutes of my time to complete.

Compare that scenario with our household buddy, the PC. Most PC experts warn that if I wanted to upgrade my current operating system to Windows Vista, I should expect that it will take 6 to 8 hours. I can also anticipate that it may not load properly or that older programs or devices may no longer be compatible. Yikes; no wonder there’s a Geek Squad!

Do I really have time for this? The wiring in my home is at least 15 years old and the copper wiring that connects my house to the rest of the world could be even older. Yet my “fresh out of the box” phone worked immediately after the battery was charged. Simple and I didn’t feel stupid.

The point is that we are not dumb but victims of unnecessary complexities. Do we really need a cell phone that comes with a 100-page user manual? The personal PC has been around for over 25 years. By now it should be simple enough for anyone at any age (at least over age 3) to use it for email.

But let’s not pick on PC’s as the cause of our newfound dumbness. Niche marketing and products have made everyday shopping a time-consuming challenge. Have you shopped for toaster or a pair of pants recently? There are lots of choices and in most cases too much information to make a quick decision. Even my simple phone purchase was part of the 800 or so available online.

How much research do we need to do everyday to make our choices? Can’t you picture someone sitting in their car trying to filter all this information and feeling paralyzed? Do you feel like you are running out of time?

I am not advocating monopolies or living a deprived life. But the next time you are feeling overwhelmed, start your recovery by limiting your time and effort regarding your choices. The difference in quality or features doesn’t justify your anxieties of feeling dumb!

Health Tip

Sleep is important. Lack of sleep is linked to mental illness, heart disease and accidents. People fail to get enough sleep any given night because of many reasons (see story above as an example).

For people who live in cold climates, one significant reason for having a hard time falling asleep is because of cold feet (no, not personal commitments but the actual parts of you body). When the body is attempting to “wind down”, it attempts to evenly distribute heat to keep you warm while sleeping. If your feet are cold, the body reacts as though it is launching into survival mode hence keeping you awake.

You need to keep your feet warm prior to bedtime. You can double up on socks, wear insulated slippers, keep a blanket over your feet or keep them near a hearting source. A very relaxing technique is a warm foot soak, maybe in one of those small, portable whirlpool devices. Whatever you choose, get those feet warm!

Next, make sure you don’t lose body warmth. Use a blanket warmer (not an electric blanket that can overheat you) on your bed to gently warm the sheets (flannel sheets are an excellent choice in cold weather). Make sure it has an automatic timer so it shuts down during the night. You don’t want to overheat your body. Many blanket warmers come with a 10-hour timer so you can start it several hours before bed and will continue several hours after you have fallen asleep.

If the blood circulation to your feet isn’t as good as it once was you may need to wear wool-blend socks to bed. Again depending how well you retain body warmth, flannel pajamas may also be necessary.

Ironically, while your bed needs to be warm, keep your bedroom cool. This contrast in temperature helps with breathing and your body’s ability to control its temperature. If your room is too warm, you will wake up in a cold sweat and may not get back to sleep very easily.

Finally, your bed is your friend. Don’t use it to toss and turn, run the day’s activities through your mind or formulate a to-do list for tomorrow. See it as one of the best moments of the day as you crawl into the gentle warmth of your cocoon.

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GROWTH <> LEADERSHIP <> EXCELLENCE

© 2007 3 Minute Learning LLC

ANOTHER POLITICAL MYTH

Science Degrees on the Rise

Since 2001 and the beginning of the No Child Left Behind legislation, political leaders have insisted that more needs to be done to attract students into science and mathematics. Politicians contend that America is falling behind other world powers because too few students are graduating with science degrees. It appears that data from the National Science Foundation may take exception to this notion of a science brain drain.
According to the NSF, the number of doctorate degrees awarded in science and engineering has hit an all-time high. In 1996, there were 27,240 doctorate degrees awarded; by 2005, the number rose to 27,974, nearly a 3 percent increase. Plus, during that 10-year span, the number of doctorate degrees awarded was over 270,000. The data seems to indicate that there are plenty of science and engineering graduates.
In fact, it would be counter-productive to “flood the market” with science and engineering graduates. This curriculum is the most demanding and the most expensive in higher education. Graduates typically have debt in the hundreds of thousands of dollars after devoting as much as 7 years to earn their doctorate degree. These students need high paying jobs in order to dent that kind of debt. Flooding the market would only drive wages lower and make it less attractive for students to enter the field. Of course, political people who back big business’ profits want to flood the market in order to drive down wages. Switching gears --
Until there is a “true labor shortage” it would seem advisable to scale back the number of all college degrees. For example in K-12 teaching, there are more graduates than jobs every year. Plenty of qualified and enthusiastic K-12 graduates are denied any teaching opportunities and instead take service industry jobs so they can begin paying back their college loans.
In a recent year (2005) in Pennsylvania, over 13,000 students graduated with teaching degrees yet less than half were offered jobs. Despite that, Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell established a “blue ribbon committee” to study how to get more middle school students interested in the teaching profession. From a government standpoint, with more teachers available in the pool, a school district can drive down wages and benefits, making teaching a less attractive profession from a wage standpoint.
Because of the low pay of these service industry jobs, students are forced to move back in with their parents in order to pay bills. The community/neighborhood sees that these bright and intelligent students who have devoted 4 to 5 years at college are now doing jobs designed for high school graduates. How do you motivate the next generation of high school graduates to apply themselves and get ready for higher education when they see the outcomes? Too many graduates are counter-productive to student motivation.
So as this school year begins to wind down for the next set of high school graduates, communities should ask if a goal of 60 to 70 percent going on to college is really a worthy objective. Why not take the bulk of this number of students and invest in vocational training? At least these kids will have a trade to earn some money while they figure out if college is the right move for them.

Visit www.3MinuteLearning.com
GROWTH <> LEADERSHIP <> EXCELLENCE
© 2007 3 Minute Learning LLC