Showing posts with label learn. Show all posts
Showing posts with label learn. Show all posts

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Learn FromYour Pets and Get Healthier Too!

“A dog has a lot of friends because he wags his tail and not his tongue.” – Anonymous


Even if they do not know it, pets can teach us a lot about life and happiness. No matter what kind of hair day we are having, how deflated we feel, or whether or not we said or did something stupid, they love us anyway. Nothing is going to keep them away from wanting to nuzzle up to you and lick your face – no matter what!


For instance, you do not need to actually have a dog to appreciate the appeal of being greeted at the door with a wagging tail, eager to greet you like you are the most important person in the world.

Pets do not judge you and find fault — they accept you as you are unconditionally.Since they do not judge, they will not notice or remember what you did wrong and therefore will never remind you!They don’t ask for much more than the basics — food, shelter and your company – they take what they can get!They have mastered the art of radical acceptance and unconditional love.They show appreciation and can give love without expecting much in returnThey are living in the moment — they do not get hung up on what happened, what might have happened, and what might happen in the future.

Learning from what pets can teach us will keep you focused on many key ingredientsfor success in relationships and in life: love, acceptance, forgiveness, compassion, loyalty and a total focus on today.


There is also considerable evidence that pets are actually good for your health. Medical issues ranging from high blood pressure, depression and even allergies have been shown to be alleviated by having pets. Yes — even allergies!


Despite the common notion that pets and people who are allergic do not jive, in actuality studies that shown that infants who grow up in a homes with furry friends are actually are less likely to be allergic to pets. Researcher James Gem, M.D. states that actually children growing up with furred animals have less incidence of eczema and stronger immune systems. Drs. Rita and Blair Justice of University of Texas medical center even compare petting a dog with eating chocolate, claiming both have been are helpful in releasing the “feel-good” chemicals like serotonin that and other brain chemicals that they measured while studying the effects of pets on the brain.


Pets can even improve your work life. Having pets in the office have actually been shown to increase productivity as well as morale! I assume, of course, they need to be the well-behaved type!


And don’t forget (of course) that pets are a date magnet, and a wonderful social lubricant to meet friends and break into conversations with a cute focal point that already makes people smile!


So next time you want a health or social boost, or are anchored down by regrets and misgivings of the past, reach for a pet and feel good!


My question to you: Would your life be different if you followed the lessons of acceptance, unconditional love and present-centeredness that pets can teach you? If so, how? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

Posted by Ambar jaiswal at 4:15 PM 0 comments
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Friday, March 9, 2012

Why business co-founders ought to learn code

Why business co-founders ought to learn code | The Social Analyst - CNET News CNET News @import "http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/Ads/common/css/SponsoredTextLink/sponsoredTextLink.live.css"; Manage Packages With UPS My Choice Home Reviews Cell Phones Camcorders Digital Cameras Laptops TVs Car Tech Forums Appliances Cell Phone Accessories Components Desktops E-book Readers Games and Gear GPS Hard Drives & Storage Headphones Home Audio Home Video Internet Access Monitors MP3 Players Networking and Wi-Fi Peripherals Printers Software Tablets Web Hosting You are here: News Latest News Mobile Startups Cutting Edge Media Security Business Tech Health Tech Crave Apple Microsoft Politics & Law Gaming & Culture Blogs Video Photos RSS Download Windows Software Mac Software Mobile Apps Web Apps The Download Blog CNET TV How To Computers Home Theater Smartphones Tablets Web Marketplace Log In | Join Log In Join CNET Sign in with My profile Log out
CNET News The Social Analyst Why business co-founders ought to learn code Ben Parr by Ben Parr February 25, 2012 8:39 AM PST Follow @benparr

Learning to code will make you a better entrepreneur, even if you don't become an expert.

In the new Internet economy, code is king. Taking the time to learn the basics of programming will help you succeed in business and entrepreneurship.

A few days ago, an aspiring entrepreneur e-mailed me with a simple question:

"Do you need to be an expert in coding to build a successful startup, or can you employ experts to do the technical work for you?"

This person has demonstrated success as a businessman and a salesman, but he caught the entrepreneurship bug and couldn't shake it. He wanted to start his own company.

I knew what he wanted to hear: You don't need to know how to code to start an Internet business! It can and has been done! Instead, this is what I told him:

"You have to code, not because you need to be good at it, but because technical employees are far more likely to follow a founder with technical experience."

The era of coming up with an idea and hiring a technical person to build it is over, and it has been for a long time. It's easier than ever to learn code, thanks to services like Codecademy. This is especially true for entrepreneurs that want to build Internet startups.

"I'm surprised at how helpful, even now as an investor, being able to code things is to my job," Harjeet Taggar, a partner at the incubator/seed venture firm Y Combinator, says. He qualified his response by noting that certain industries, such as enterprise sales, require more noncoding tasks than consumer-facing applications.

"I think a big takeaway is that if you're a business co-founder, you should 1) at least spend some time being able to understand the vocabulary of code, and 2) pick an idea that leverages your skills."

This topic is personal for me. I've been spending the past two months working on a startup, in addition to this column. The majority of that time has been spent coding and learning to code. I'm no expert though--what takes me an hour to build, my co-founder can create in five minutes.

But that's OK--I don't need to be an expert. My job is to focus on research, user acquisition, partnerships, and the business side of the startup. My programming responsibilities basically boil down to a few key tasks:

Find and fix bugsImplement small featuresManage the site designUnderstand how our product works on a technical level

The last point is the most important one. Understanding how difficult a requested feature will be to implement has made me better at prioritizing our company's time appropriately. The only way to truly know how a feature or a product works is to understand code.

My advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is simple: if you don't know how to code, learn. Don't worry about becoming an expert--just put in the effort and learn the basics. The knowledge and understanding of code will make you a far stronger entrepreneur.

Posted by Ambar jaiswal at 3:17 AM 0 comments
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