The Musings of Scott

“It is little short of a miracle that modern methods of instruction have not already completely strangled the holy curiosity of inquiry…. I believe that one could even deprive a healthy beast of prey of its voraciousness if one could force it with a whip to eat continuously whether it were hungry or not…” Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Recently I read about a group of Psychology students claiming that the age of the (costly) Textbook is coming to an end, especially considering the internet is an up-to-the-minute library of everything you need to know about anything. Open Source Texts are nothing new, and there has been an increasing abundance of free education grade material on the internet. You can learn more in 1 hour wondering around Wikipedia than you could sitting in a lecture during that same time. I am of the opinion that the cost of higher education exceeds its value, especially considering you can access the same information for free. Be it degree inflation or over subsidizing education, a college degree simply isn’t worth what they charge for it.

Has the wage Gender gap been closing due to fairness laws, or have more couples been forced into dual careers to achieve the lifestyle they were raised to expect? That is for dwindling folks who are finding time to get married anymore.

Simply put, the current American Dream is of the pipe variety. Information is global the second you put it on the internet, and despite any clever methods to curtail it, people will take it, consume it, share it, and remix it (with and without paying for it). How can you compete on a global scale when we put arbitrary costs on how much learning your skills should cost? The modern student faces ~10 years of debt (if all goes well) to recoup the cost of their piece of paper with a brand name on it, while a third world competitor learns the exact same skills and knowledge for free by showing some initiative. Performance will always trump credentials, and we live in an age where individuals have an unparalleled potential to demonstrate their abilities.

I am always learning about a variety of subjects and hobbies at once, and I encourage you to also push your mind to capacity. Just because information is free doesn’t mean we should devalue it!

Get Inspired to Learn:
http://www.thersa.org/
http://www.ted.com/
http://bigthink.com/
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/
A benefit of Netflix being bullied by movie & TV studios is the awesome selection of documentaries and science programing.

Find Resources:
101 Killer Open Courseware Projects from Around the World: Ivy League and Beyond
iTunes U
Youtube
Wikipedia
Find Discussion Forums, Bookmarking Groups, Twitter Feeds, Blogs, etc, on your subject. The learning power of the crowd is an incredible thing!

“However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act on upon them?”- Buddha

Do!
Too much time is wasted in our society not doing anything! Apply your knowledge via some creative medium, outlet, project. Combine interests into realms of knowledge, teach yourself new skills. Experiment, try, fail. (learn)

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