Bright Possibilities

Tag: Learning

  • First year of Cub Scouts – a reflection

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    Murali
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    My son (shortly M) started his first grade in 2016 and also started showing curiosity towards many activities. In the fall of 2016, M rambled down to a table with a lone rocket on the table. Curious as he was, he wanted to touch the rocket. The kakhi clad (now we know that they are…

  • Making Shields using modern maker technologies

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    Murali
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    In the medieval times, one cannot guard a state without great knights and soldiers. And these knights in-turn relied upon great armor, shields (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shield), and swords. In the modern era we rely on defense technologies that reach farther. Still there is a lot learnt from the ancient shields including patience and creativity. Today my…

  • Creating a world of ones’ own, starting with the pinewood derby

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    Murali
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    Several years back I heard some of my colleagues talk about Derby cars. Coming from India where I did not know anything about these Derby cars; it was all new to me. I was busy and did not know dig into this either. Wind forward twenty years … and now I have a 1st grader who is in…

  • Making Things in Seattle

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    Murali
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    This summer I got interested in making things in Seattle. After nearly 25 years since my last attempt with robots, I got to work with robots.  As part of the SparkSip: Tiny Task Bots project, we built a small robot that will be used for cleaning metal roof. Congrats to the kids who worked on this robot…

  • Hi Robot, help me with my daily chores, please …

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    Murali
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    Yesterday I was talking about some ideas with my wife. The topic of robots came up. She rightly challenged me that these robots are not mostly about doing things that are not directly helping with daily items.I agree with her. Earlier this year, Melinda Gates wrote about the paucity of time in the Gates Notes annual…

  • Staying Creative Always

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    Murali
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    Today I ran into this article on How to find time for creative work. It was well written. The author of the article talks about how he had prioritized time to ensure he can do his creative work – writing – done. In many ways this is applicable for many of us. I write occasionally…

  • Fitness and Togetherness – thanks to Girls on The Run

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    Murali
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    A few weeks back, my 11 year old daughter came home with a form requesting us to sign and acknowledge that she can join the Girls on The Run. At first I was surprised when I read that 4th and 5th grade girls are going to attempt a 5K run. I do not recall attempting a 5K…

  • High school students apply for summer internships

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    Murali
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    Spark SIP connects aspiring high school kids in the Greater Seattle area to internships with small companies, universities and enthusiastic coaches. This year I joined this program as both an advisor. I am gratified to see several entrepreneurs step up to sponsor projects including Sensoria, AppSheet, 9-mile labs, 6crickets, and Quantyzd. The season has started very well – we…

  • Build to last longer

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    Murali
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    Today I read an excellent article on building weatherproof companies. The author focuses on founder CEOs and advices them to think about longevity through learning fast, strong culture, real board / advisors, an excellent execution cadence, and handling the monsters of the mind. There are two principles I had held high in my work –…

  • Shape your habits – one small step at a time

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    Murali
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    We all have habits. We all desire to change habits. Sometimes it is daunting. However if we pause and think through the steps, we can change habits, which can change our character and our lives. Last month I read the Book: The Power of Habit. Charles Duhigg provides several examples to illustrate the science of habit formation…