Everything On The Internet Is True, Except Not At All

Science and mathematics denial is running rampant throughout the U.S.

That's right. It's 2015, and that is a true statement. Is this real life? Unfortunately, yes.

This topic comes to me from fellow LaSalle High alum Erik Anderson. Thanks for the topic, Erik! I'm just sorry that it is one.

I've talked recently about the denial of climate change, but aside from the people denying that, there are other people--sometimes the same people--that root their ideas in conspiracy theories. It's kind of funny, actually, that most of the people who I have seen that do not believe in climate change are also the people that believe in all these ridiculous and baseless conspiracy theories, but I digress...

Science and mathematics denial is a different kind of crazy. No, I'm not talking about 1+1 = 2. Thankfully there aren't a lot of people that disagree with that. But when equations start having radicals, exponents, and variables that they've never seen before, some people start to look elsewhere for information. So, first off, we need to examine why people do this, before I explain why it's no good.

There are plenty of psychological explanations for certain behaviors. The internet breads a new variety of human through fear. In fact, it's a lot like brainwashing.

When we were in school--ya know, that place where we went to learn things and obtain knowledge--we were constantly taught from the beginning of internet usage to cite .edu, .org, and .gov. Not all of these domains automatically means that the information on these cites is 100% undeniably true. But, what it does mean is that it's not being funded by commercial entities. Yes, I admit that .gov is sort of a commercial entity, and I can definitely see anyone's skepticism in constantly using a .gov when our own congress/senate/etc. is trying to hide things from us all the time. However, what I can tell you is that more often than not, these domains are considerably better than .coms. Dot coms are funded by commercial entities of all kinds. Like Burger King. Are you seriously going to believe a site funded by Burger King?

I'm not going to completely deny the possibility of aliens. I don't know if they are real. I also don't know if they're not real. This is an open-minded train of thinking. The unknown should create a kind of skepticism that searches for the undeniable truth. With that said, if I found a .com that talked about aliens invading us from all parts of the world, I would first look outside. Here's what I wouldn't do: Automatically make an aluminum hat and go hide in a bomb shelter.

See the difference?

Side note: even if I saw aliens outside, I would first check to make sure that I am void of any diseases that breed hallucinations like Alzheimer's, etc. I know that a lot of people are not so quick to believe that their ridiculous point of view is a problem. No matter how ridiculous their proposed "solution," they swear it's the only way to solve a problem. These people need to be avoided, because these people are closed minded. Even in math, there is no such thing as "1 way or nothing." For example, I can get to "2" a few different ways: 1+1, 2+0, 4-2, 4/2, 1*2, I don't need to keep going, do I?

The old adage "seeing is believing" has some root in science. People did this thing called the Scientific Method where a set of steps are taken beginning with a hypothesis and ending with a conclusion based on certain experiments. The experimenters or scientists make conclusions off of what they see from the experiments. They log their information, and then send the same test to different scientists. If those scientists come up with the same result using the same measurements, quantities, etc., then the conclusion of those experiments are given this term that we hear a lot: Fact. Therefore, "facts" are born from science in a lot of ways.

Fear breeds ignorance. Businesses know this. People who like manipulating facts along with other people also know this. There are people who justify their points of view with YouTube videos as opposed to peer reviewed journals. These YouTube videos that lead people to believe that there are certain "facts" are clandestine. In other words, "kept secret from us." These videos and articles make people believe that the government and other special forces are keeping this information from us so we don't go berserk. As far as the alien thing goes, who the hell knows? It could be true? Maybe our government and other governments are secret little shits that don't want us to believe that aliens are real? Again, that's an open-minded perspective. I'm NOT saying that I watched a video and automatically believed that aliens are real. Again, see the difference?

Along with science and mathematics deniers, the conspiracy theorists are the worst. These people I can NOT stand. The people who believe that the U.S. govt. had something to do with 9/11, the Boston Bombings, and the facts are not good enough for them. These are the people that can't live without being in fear, so they find articles and faux information to make them more fearful based on their own preconceived biases/ideas/understandings. Action movies corrupt the malleable mind. Those movies that hint on conspiracies like in National Treasure about the Illuminati. The Illuminati were a real group of people that did real things, just not the things that people believe they did--like creating some grand puzzle to find some grand treasure. It is hard for these kinds of people to separate fact from fiction. Side note: skepticism is a great thing to have. Skepticism keeps everyone in check, and there are A LOT of things to be skeptical about. However, here's a brief analogy of the kind of WRONG skepticism that I'm seeing more of:

You can't see the other part of the conversation, and actually this is not mine, this came directly from Erik and people that he has been running into that are denying science and using "conspiracy" and "truth" to mean the same thing, but I think I can take a guess how it went approximately:

Erik: 1+1 = 2
Conspiracy theorist: No, it's 7 *link to YouTube video defining 1+1 equaling 7*

Erik: Uhh, no. That doesn't make any sense. 1+1 has always equaled 2. *link to peer reviewed educational article explaining that 1+1=2*

CT: Oh, yeah? Then how come they say 4-2 equals 2? Huh? Explain that!
Erik: Well, uhh, math. Math explains that. School. If you went to grade school, grade school teachers explain that.

CT: You just don't understand! How can you believe what these crazy people tell you! They're hiding the truth! 1+1 equals SEVEEEEENNN!!! Also, aliens.

Now, if I heard that aliens are real from a well-known Astronomer such as Neil deGrasse Tyson, then my ears would perk up, and I'd say, "Whaaaaaa?!?!" Because if HE'S saying it, then it most surely is true. At the very least, I'd be considerably more inclined to believe him than anyone else on the matter. Scientists are these people that want to tell EVERYONE about their new discoveries. We would have heard about new findings--and we actually do hear about new findings each day about new species being discovered, potential life on a moon of Saturn, etc.--if any of these accusations were true.

I encourage all of you to use science and mathematics to your favor! Be skeptical! Skeptical is good. Skeptical allowed Jack Andraka--that super smart boy genius I wrote about in a previous post--to create a simple, fast, and inexpensive way to detect certain cancers. But he used previously known facts about math and science to create a different perspective. He didn't just go, "Gee, whiz, I'm pretty sure this thingy will work."

Ultimately, it's good to be skeptical, but don't deny scientific and mathematical facts, please? Also, stop thinking that the world is out to get you. That's how these ridiculous conspiracy theories are created. Until I see something creditable, i.e. Eric Snowden debunking a slew of govt secrets, then I'm not going to believe these strange conspiracies. Speaking of which, for all the "the media is hiding things from you because the govt told them to" people, why would have we even heard about Snowden, Chelsea Manning, etc. over the years?

- PatInTheHat

One Step Forward, Ten Yard Penalty

Every. Single. Time.

Every single time I hear good news, I'm hit with worse news. If people in America want to know why we progress at a snail's pace, it's because there are officials in office who are snails.

A couple days ago I heard from a friend of mine that the Presbyterian Church has finally accepted gay marriage. Woo! Seriously, that's great! But when I was told of this, I responded with some skepticism.

Though it's great that the Presbyterian Church has accepted homosexual marriage, it took forever. It took similarly as long for a Catholic Pope to finally go, "Yeah, gay marriage is cool, whatever." To the point of LGBT activists everywhere, it's called marriage. Not gay marriage. It's just marriage.

That said, no religion represents the United States or even individual states (though I'm sure there are conservative Republicans out there who would say otherwise, and I'd argue that if that is the case it shouldn't be because, ya know, separation of Church and State and all that shit that everyone keeps ignoring. But, ya know, don't give me a background check for the guns I purchase. Sorry, slight digression...). So, why, then does it seem like Religion(Church..whatever) and State GO HAND-IN-HAND!?

Listen, Christians, I get it. You out there who want to pick certain things out of your religious text in order to berate other human beings around you for no reason other than to assert whatever dominance you think you have on them. Really, I get it. You're assholes. It's cool. There are tons of people like you out there. I'm used to it!

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, the Lord of all Assholes hailing from Indiana decides, "Hey, ya know what would be really great? Let's make a law where everyone can make pretend that homosexuals aren't people. Yeah! Let's go backwards by 100 years and treat people who are different than me like animals!"

First off, look at me *does the index-middle finger to the eyes back to that disgusting human being* Fuck. You.

Either you were elected by a kajillion heathens--which I will not withdraw as a possibility--OR you DISGUISED yourselves as non-heathens, beautiful people whom in reality are the fullest of the shits. All of the shits.

If you are someone from Indiana who is not trying to stop this legislation that will actively discriminate against the LGBTQ, etc. community, you should be embarrassed! You should be embarrassed of that governing POSs over there that are signing this act of  clear oppression on a group of people who only deserve to be treated like people.*

I'm livid. I'm sad. I'm sorry to the LGBTQ, etc. community over there and around the country who this is hurting the most. 

These acts of hatred have got to end right now!

Flabergasted and disgusted.

* In case you're unfamiliar with what I'm talking about, here ya go: http://www.indystar.com/story/opinion/columnists/matthew-tully/2015/03/24/tully-statehouse-republicans-embarrass-indiana/70371558/

- PatInTheHat

Say It With Me

The United States is a confusing place to live in. In one moment, we're talking about sending people to Mars for the first time in the history of human kind--a potential reality that everyone seems pretty quick to accept--and in the next moment we're denying the proof of science in climate change.

Now listen, man, I get it. Science is hard. Science is so hard that there is a profession dedicated to it. In fact, there are multiple professions with different designations dedicated to it. Even that can be frustrating/confusing for people who aren't used to professions having different designations. Ya know, like calling someone a doctor who is not an MD. I know how confusing that can be for some of you. And I'm really sorry you do not know how to use Google during these times, but you really need to learn for the sake of mankind.

Yes, really. Mankind's future depends on you not being an ignorant twit.

Now, I am not a scientist.

Nope.

Not even a little bit.

But even though I'm not a scientist, I can trust science. Here's why: Scientific facts are tangible. Tangible is another way of saying that we can see, feel, smell, etc. the changes. They are definitely there, because numerous experiments were done to prove the existence of what we weren't sure was there. Like gravity, for instance. We can't see gravity, but we can feel its effects when we jump in the air and land back down on the ground. Otherwise, that jump would have flung us into space.

Cool? Cool.

Now, climate change (initially coined by Al Gore as Global Warming) is a very real thing.

Quick background: the Earth goes through these climate periods some of which we're familiar with through high school science classes that teach us of the Ice Age and so forth. Certain phenomena can accelerate the process of these climate periods. For instance, a meteor that crashed into Earth around when the dinosaurs were still around could have created a nuclear holocaust of sorts in that the Earth got so hot so fast, that most living organisms died out.

Today, we're realizing that climate change is being accelerated by humans. Oil that would have stayed inside the crust of the Earth would have stayed there had we not extracted it. Once the oil enters our cars, the used oil creates noxious gas that fills our atmosphere and even damages our O-Zone, which protects us from the Sun! Moreover, the gasses create a Greenhouse Gas effect where the warm air has a hard time escaping the Earth's atmosphere, so instead of the warm rays of the sun ricocheting into the stratosphere, it instead comes back down to Earth.

Scientists of all kinds, including those we hear from all the time in Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye, are trying to warn us of the severity of this issue so that we can start combating the issue now before we destroy ourselves. On the other hand, there are politicians like Rick Scott, the current governor of Florida, who are trying to keep people stupid by abolishing the term "climate change" completely.

Now, I know some of you out there are going to be like, "Well, Al Gore was a politician! We believed him!" Well, first off, by the looks of it, no you didn't. Secondly, he was taken very seriously--ya know, since he won the Nobel Prize in Science--by science colleagues because he went through the mathematics and scientific experimentation to prove his stance on the topic. To hammer the point home, he decided to call his now proven theory "Global Warming," because he wanted to make it abundantly clear to your Average Joe that the Earth is slowly beginning to rise in temperature.

I know I'm being very basic about this stuff and talking about it as if you've never heard of climate change. I'm really hoping you have, the reason I'm laying it out like this is because it's super important! If there's one topic that needs to be talked about every single day until we're sick of it (which some of you might have been hearing about it a lot and ARE sick of it) this is the topic.

We need to do something about this collectively. This is not a one-person job, so don't go begging the President to fix everything--and trust me, he's been trying his damndest as far as cc goes. In order to make a real change, we need to start creating groups that write petitions to those we've elected in power to make changes on a smaller scale first, i.e. Mayor, governor, Senator, etc. An immediate big scale change like this--going from oil/limited energy to solar/unlimited energy--is not going to happen. Bill Nye and Tyson are going all over the place--TV outlets, conferences, the President himself, etc--to fix the problem on a big scale. I appreciate what they are doing, because it has gotten the conversation going throughout the world, let alone the country, but we need to do our job, too!

So, say it with me: We can make a change!

Get out of that pessimistic shell of, "I'm a turtling nobody without a voice."

No, you're not. And it's time we stop pointing the finger at our constituents expecting them to mind-read us. We need to tell them. To their face. That things need to change.

Say it with me. Then be the change you want.

- PatInTheHat

Scavengers

The corporate world is a strange place.

I'm sure I've made that point pretty clear through previous posts, but in case I haven't made it crystal clear, there ya have it. And here's some more fuel to the fire.

One of the stranger times of day is lunch time. If you're new to a company in corporate America, then you probably don't have any work friends. Even if you had people you could call "work friends" it certainly doesn't guarantee that they will ask you to go to lunch with them. I'm not saying this is a mandatory thing to do among co-workers. It's definitely not. But there is about a 30-minute period between 11:50 and 12:20 that anything can happen.

Either you decide that you're getting lunch yourself--which is something that I tend to do the majority of the time--or you ask a co-worker to get lunch with you or a co-worker does the same. Luckily my aunt works in the same building I do, so I just go eat with her. It's considerably less awkward that way anyway. Once I actually sit down to have lunch with co-workers--other than my aunt--it's basically just as awkward because no one wants to accidentally say anything offensive.

In my department we have this one guy, who is right under the VP of the tax department, who, if we all have lunch together, always jokes at the lunch table and sometimes using vulgarity. It certainly lightens the mood, but you can never reciprocate his actions/words or else it's considered unprofessional all the sudden.

I wish that was the strangest occurrence.

The strangest occurrence for me, especially as it relates to lunch time, is the ritual feeding of the higher-ups who are having meetings throughout the day. These wealthy entrepreneurs gather in a conference room and are fed, free of charge, at lunch time. Sometimes they get full buffets, too, with those hot steel trays that you saw at prom that held the meatballs, veal, mashed potatoes, etc.

I'm using the word "strange," but really these kinds of things irk me. I mean, you're kidding me, right? I know how this country is set up. The wealthier you are, the less you have to pay. It's privilege as far as the eye can see, and I'm sure if I ever got to their positions I'd feel grateful. But that's bullshit, isn't it? Why do we, the intern, along with other colleagues in the department, that earns pittance in comparison, have to pay for our own lunch, but you, magistrates, get to mosey on over to a kitchen right outside of the room you are having these meetings for free food and drinks?

Ha, they don't want us to feel forgotten about, though. If they leave anything uneaten, guess where it goes! That's right, the food we weren't supposed to eat finally comes to us. The dogs of the company finally get their bone. And what's always left? The stuff that no one ever wants to eat. Just to put that in comparison for you pet owners out there, that's the equivalent of you dropping something on the floor, and whistling to your dog to clean up the mess.

Doesn't that just make you feel all warm, fuzzy, and wanted?!

No, it doesn't.

About 20 minutes ago, one of those ritual moments occurred when someone from our department discovered that some food was left over for us! Like a flock of starving seagulls, half of the department, who, by the way, make substantially more than I do, practically sprinted to the food to make sure they got some before anyone else did. None of those people included me, because I had no idea what happened until it was explained a little later. What did I find when I got there other than a sign that everyone started to ignore that said, "Do not eat, please. For Executive lunch"? Some salad with no dressing.

Mmm, fucking yum.

There are times like these where I wish I was back in high school and could just draw penises and other graffiti all over shit you didn't approve of. Back then, it was socially acceptable to do this. And then, I shit you not, things actually changed. People got the message. If you did this kind of stuff in corporate America, all you get is a pink slip that says, "Don't come back tomorrow," if they figure out it was you, anyway.

Heaven forbid you disagree with common practices. -.- Grumble grumble.

- PatInTheHat

All About You

Hey there everyone! Hope you're doing well. This post is specifically for everyone out there who has been reading this blog over the past couple months, which going by my views (just under 3,000!) has been a good amount of you! So, thank you!

As I've explained to a few of you out there who have asked, I didn't start out writing the blog for anyone other than mostly myself. It serves as a decent creative and emotional outlet, but it's an outlet that I created, too, in order for all of you to get know a little more about me--perhaps that was about 20% of the reason.

Over the past, whatever, year-ish I've kept my distance from a lot of you. I only hope that you have not taken that personally! It had nothing to do with any of you, and you know who you are. I just needed my time for a while--which is something in my earlier life that I didn't have much of.

That said, under no obligation to you, of course, I would love for this blog to become more interactive. Although the comments from all of you out there have been phenomenal--whether through here or social networks--I don't mean comments (but please keep them coming)! I've been privileged to have you intelligent readers pose very thought-provoking questions, and since that's been the case I'd like to see how this goes:

I'd like to hear from you what you think some really important topics are. Social media, the internet, and, of course, the news are great places to find new information, but I can't find it all! If there is something going on that you would like me to write about so the message gets to more people, tell me about it and tell me why it's making you upset/happy/feel any certain way! If you provide an interesting topic, I will write about it and include your name (or an alias if you wish to remain anonymous) within the blog post! I'll also leave you the option of whether you'd like your name tagged in social media in case questions come to you! Lastly, I will show you the full draft of what I've written, and will allow you to add certain points that I may have missed so to be more true to the topic at hand. Understand that all of my previous works have either been editorial pieces, i.e. mostly opinionated, or have been about my life. So, before telling me about a topic, know that my opinions about it, whether they are yours or not, will be put into the article. However, again, you'll be able to read the article before it's posted, so if a happy medium is not reached between the both of us, then the article will not be posted. Fair, right?

A lot of the newer topics I have written on are posts to get a conversation going. To those sharing my posts from time to time, thank you! I'm glad that I'm writing share-able/informative-enough posts. It means a lot!

Now that I've laid everything out on the table, what do you guys say?

Do you trust me?

- PatInTheHat

I Don't F*cking Know

There's something strange about vocal vulgarity.

In any given unappealing scenario, curses roll off the tongue without barely any effort. When we were kids, our parents really tried to prevent us from being so vulgar. In the end, those futile attempts to keep us from the crack-addiction of modern expression practically did the opposite.

Once you get that first taste of delicious vulgarity, you're immediately thankful it's not something that makes us put on weight.

I won't speak for you, but I, for one, welcome the vivacious unscrupulousness of vulgarity. No, not to belittle someone, hurt someone, name call, etc. I, instead, welcome it for other reasons.

For example, sometimes it snows on the first fucking day of Spring. Other times, you're up to your God damn, piece-of-shit neck in student loans with no fucking way to get out for the next 10-20-lifetime amount of years.

Some occasions--and what I like using vulgarity for the most--thinking outside of the box is helped by vulgarity. Now, ok, you're going to say, "But, Pat, that has nothing to do with cursing." You're right, technically it doesn't. Technically it has do with the way our minds are activated when we're angry or ticked off. I find that I do some of my best thinking when I'm livid. Words, ideas, and other phrases pop into my head that don't generally come to mind on the regular.

Thus bringing me to my point: Working in any workplace is hard. How am I supposed to get my creative juices flowing if I can't scream a couple shit-fucks from now and then, huh?

*Fucking Sigh*

- PatInTheHat

The Velocity of Money

Since no one likes to really think about things that depress them or stress them, I'll keep this post brief.

Considering I'm an accountant by trade, it's only about time I talk about something money related that doesn't just have to do with student loans.

The Velocity of money is a concept that is being widely talked about because of the fear that our country is beginning to fall back into another recession or even another Depression, which we haven't had since the 1930s.

By definition, the velocity of money is the number of times one dollar is spent to buy goods and services per unit of time. In other words, if I spend a dollar on gum, and the vendor spends that dollar on indirect costs for their business: like electricity, then that one dollar had a velocity of 2. If I make one dollar, and then decide to save it, then that dollar has a velocity of zero.

Our economy is still so bad that everyone is afraid to buy things. More importantly, no one WANTS to buy things, because as money becomes more scarce while prices on housing, cars, and other things have continued to rise, we all start to think twice about buying that cup of coffee at DD, or buying that sandwich from Wawa. Yes, those are low-priced items in comparison to the house and car I mentioned, but as with all things: If you ignore the little problems, they'll become big problems.

Maybe you are already aware of this, or maybe you're not. The basic point of this post is to make you more conscious of the choices you make. Because if YOU feel like you need to save money, then that likely means many others are doing the same thing. Therefore, how is money circulating the way the economy is supposed to? Well, it's not.

No, it's not your fault that you're saving. I'm not blaming you. I'm simply saying that if people start having gruff with the government (which most of the right-wing is already well ahead of us doing), I wouldn't blame you. But with any problem that you'd have at work, let's start coming up with solutions to the problem instead of just complaining about them. Complaining will get us nowhere.

I know, you're probably not a politician, and you probably feel like your opinion doesn't matter, but that's the furthest from the truth. We, as people of this nation, just need to get a real conversation going. I certainly haven't started it--as I've heard this being discussed on radio outlets already. I am, however, trying to keep the discussion going.

If something like this really bothers you--which it kind of should for the sake of all of us, including yourself--then please keep the conversation going!

I'm sick of worrying about the economic distress that our country is still failing to overcome.

- PatInTheHat

You Don't Know Jack...

...but you will.

_______

Jack Andraka is a straight 35-year-old PhD in biology who has recently developed a way to find the early stages of pancreatic, lung, and ovarian cancers.

Highly respected in his field, Andraka wowed the minds of credible professionals in similar fields. From the birth of his idea--a dip stick in a water, anti-body/proteins solution that is inexpensive, simple, fast, and nearly 100% effective in detecting the early stages of the three previously named cancers--came droves of sponsorships from hospitals and medical professionals around the world. As well known and heralded as he has been in his field, it's no wonder he has been given so much money for continued research and development. He is published in textbooks around the world, and if his plans come to fruition, he will look to win the Nobel Prize in science by the time he is 40.

Like most similar scientists, he may only ever be known by colleagues, peers, and those that read his name in textbooks for the next several hundred years.

______

All of that sounds extraordinary, doesn't it? I think it does!

But here's the thing: Most of what I just told you was a lie.

Jack Andraka is not 35. He's 18. Even though his sexual orientation doesn't matter--because it never does--he's gay, too.

Jack Andraka was not heralded by anyone. In fact, his original ideas were rejected by exactly 199 cancer researching PhDs starting at the age of 13. Even his parents, who ended up funding most of his research by supplying centrifuges and a basement lab, didn't think his research would ultimately be worth it.

His parents, father a civil engineer and mother an anesthetist by trade, were wrong (to start). All of those scientists? They were also wrong. His brother, Luke--2 years his senior--was the sole person in their family to believe in Jack's ambition--and, surprise, he's also pretty smart in his own right. He became Jack's lab partner when things started to take off.

Eventually, Jack did hear back from one professor from John's Hopkins, who decided to have him brought in to explain his idea. Despite some rough patches and a load of criticism--all of which you can find on his wikipedia page*--he's now funded by National Geographics for all of his research.



I had the fantastic privilege of hearing Jack talk yesterday (Sunday) for the closing of this year's Montessori conference. Aside: It's worth noting that I am not a Montessori educator or a teacher. For reasons I will get to in a moment, my significant other, Katie, who is a Montessori teacher, thought it might be a good idea to snag an ID badge from a colleague whom was unable to make it for the day. For that day I was not Pat Monteith. I was Ken Martin, Dean of Students, Philadelphia Montessori. And, man, was I grossly underpaid. I digress...

The day before, when I first learned I would have this privilege, I talked to my father about whether this kid/man/genius/prodigy was more closely related to Einstein or the guy who accidentally created the potato chip. For once, we were not arguing, but simply discussing the odds of him actually being a genius. Since all I had to go off of was wikipedia--or at least that's all I cared to look up at the time--I figured we would leave it at "who knows?" before actually getting to hear him talk.

Spoiler alert: He's a genius.

Along with explaining his (short) life story accompanied with an explanation of what he did, and why it's receiving a lot of attention now, he fielded questions from the audience. There are two questions in particular that he fielded--along with some tearful "thank yous" from other audience members who lost relatives to pancreatic cancer--that I think are pretty important to mention.

1. "Despite all of the adversity and rejection, how did you continue? What made you keep going?"
Answer (paraphrased): Well, there's a funny thing about discovering new science-y things: You can't go by fact! You have to have your own set of creativity that thinks outside of the box in order to make the world a better place, and I believe that creativity is in all of us!

2. Are you in the process of creating new things?
Answer (paraphrased): Well, yes, I'm doing this one thing where...*mind blowing answer about things I only half understood*...Also, I'm in the process of creating nanobots that enter the blood stream and program cells to commit suicide. This way, we can get right to the cancer and kill the cancer from the inside-out.

Another question that deserves honorable mention was one that asked, "How long will it take for your device to enter the market?"
Answer (paraphrased): Well, it should take 5-10 years for more studies by the CDC and other governing bodies to approve of its usefulness. So we're hoping it takes closer to 5.
Rebuttal by asker: Is there any way for us to speed up the process? Fundraising, etc?
Answer (paraphrased): Unfortunately, as far as medical innovations go, it normally takes about 17 years for these kinds of things to go from development to the market, so we're already going at a little faster pace than it normally takes for these things.

In other words, there's nothing more we can do--it's a process.



So, why does Jack Andraka mean anything to me? Why was the first book signing/meet and greet I've ever done/been a part of with someone 5 years my junior? Well his story is a bit similar to mine, except when I got discouraged or had my ideas rejected, I stopped pursuing and went a separate direction.

No, it's not to toot my own horn. It's true. When I was 14, my grandfather died of Melanoma. He was like a second father to me, and I was devastated. Similarly, Jack's uncle died of Pancreatic cancer, thus starting the flow of his creative juices. (You can find out all about his life in his book called "Breakthrough," which is an autobiography of sorts up to this point in his life. I've only read a bit of it so far, but it's quite fascinating to me...) I was just entering my first year at LaSalle when he passed away, and I couldn't wait to start learning about biology, which I was able to do more in-depth my sophomore year. When learning about the cell cycle, something interesting came across my mind: What if we could manipulate cell growth to, at the very least, stop the growth of cancerous cells? For instance--and I'll try not to be too confusing, here, because I know how I felt when Jack spoke and needless to say my brain exploded: cells go through these reproductive stages. More specifically I payed close attention to G1 and G0. G1 is the stage in cellular reproduction where certain chemical reactions occur inside the cell, blah blah blah, and the cell reproduces and keeps doing so until it reaches a point, if ever, of G0. G0, which occurs in only a few specific cells in the human body, i.e. brain cells, pulmonary cells, and nerve cells, is when the certain other chemical reactions happen, blah blah blah, and the cell stops reproducing.

The idea I had only works for cancer where tumors develop. Therefore, sorry, Leukemia and a few other cancers where the invasiveness of a procedure is too risky and costly. My idea encompassed the use of nerve, pulmonary, or brain cells, perhaps through extraction of tissue from living or recently dead organisms, and surrounding the cancer cells with these cells. In other words, connecting cancer tissue to the tissue that is in G0. I thought, since we are organisms that have the ability to learn, that learning could also happen at the cellular level. Ultimately, I thought I could get cancer cells to learn to stop growing.

Long story short, I asked 3 different doctors. 2 basically told me it's not possible. I was younger when I surveyed these two doctors, so it discouraged me and I stopped trying. It was years later when I was well into the establishing points of my accounting career that I asked the 3rd who told me that what I thought of is currently being worked on. The specifics are different than how I thought of it, because when I was younger I couldn't wrap my head around the idea that the cancer cells are constantly mutating--which means it's hard for them to learn much of anything. The point is, whatever creativity you have with certain ideas, don't be afraid to talk about them! It just might save a ton of lives, or make peoples' lives infinitely easier!

Jack. Did not. Quit.

Before yesterday, I didn't know Jack, but I'll know Jack like I know Einstein for the rest of my life. My goal through this blog is that you do, too. He beat the naysayers, and pushed through an extreme amount of rejection and adversity. In the name of saving our relatives for generations to come, I hope that you remember him, because he deserves to be remembered.

You didn't know Jack, but now you do.**

- PatInTheHat

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Andraka

** Here's a link to his book! http://www.harpercollins.com/childrens/breakthrough

The Interview

I'm only 23 years of age, but I've had my fair share of interviews up to this point. At an interview you meet very different kinds of people. Some are shy; some are confident; some are far more serious than they should be; some are far too lackadaisical. It's no wonder interviews are generally hard for us to go through: We have no idea the kind of person(s) we're meeting.

Business experts have very specific guidelines as far as interviews go. Ask certain questions, give firm handshakes, act super confident, don't stutter or "umm/uhh" too much. Be clear. Be concise. Blah blah.

Well, there's one thing that I've learned that no "expert" has ever said to me. Not once. Not ever.

Adapt.

It only takes about 2-5 minutes to figure out a person's general personality/general seriousness level. No matter what their personality is, sometimes you have to be a chameleon a bit, because you can't really tell what personality they prefer to listen to/look at (ya know, body expressions) until you see the looks on their faces while you're talking. Generally, if the interviewers are smiling, are engaged into what you're saying, or ask you a lot (or really just a few) questions that aren't super business-generic, then you're probably doing a good job at your interview. 

You see, we don't want to come off as liars, right? We're not trying to be interview swindlers. What we're trying to do, as the interviewers, is find any semblance of control in the interview room.

Interviewers generally want all of the control. They want to give you hardball questions that really make you think. At the very least, they want to give you questions that make them feel smart and make you feel stupid. If this hasn't happened to you yet, it probably will at some point, so hang on to your hats (or hats, if you're a lady).

Panel interviews are the most fun. Unless you're interviewing for a sales position (by the way, don't), then a panel interview is basically one interviewee per a few interviewers. These are very challenging interviews for those who may not have had one before. It's understandable, too. No one in their right mind could ever be truly ready for these, because instead of one personality you, instead, need to adapt to multiple (kinda like you might have had to do with your ex. I digress...) For me, I learned that it's important to try to speak to all of them--meaning: use the best eye-contact deliverance that you can. Also, it's important to know who the head-hancho is. That is, the person who is ultimately going to be making the decision on your future in the end. This person you want to give specific attention to, and perhaps more of your eye-contact.

It's important to show your personality in these information exchanges, too. You're probably dressed in the best suit or dress that you own, so this might come across as a little difficult, because, ya know, that night-dress/party-rocker outfit you have at home is the only uniform your comfortable being personable in, but just do your best, yeah?

Lastly, the best thing you can do for yourself in an interview--no matter how bad you might want that job--is to be straight with them. When I say "adapt" I'm talking about your personality a bit so that you sort of make them like you, so that you're in more control of the interview. That's not what I'm talking about when I say "be straight." What I mean by that is: Tell them, honestly, what you want out of your life. You'd be surprised how well this comes across in interviews. Real, honest answers go a long way. I don't think interviewers nowadays want to hear those arbitrary, spoonfed responses that all those "experts" tell you to say.

For instance, I'm always asked in my interviews where I see myself in 5 years. I always respond with "I don't know..." but I explain that response as to why I'm not sure. Those interview "experts" tell you to never say that, and that you should always have a clear and definitive answer for this question.

I say that's bullshit, because that would mean you and every other interviewer is basically a robot that was programmed to say things that aren't even true. If you KNOW where you want to be in 5-10 years, I think you're kind of full of yourself. I mean, OK, if you really have an answer for that, fine. Go for it. All the power to you. Just make sure that your answer is real to you. Don't try and answer the question in a way that you think will make them happy. 9 times out of 10 when you're real with your interviewer(s) they are just as real with you. Maybe they even tell you that you might not fit into the position because of your higher aspirations or perhaps even lack of aspirations. Maybe they even offer you the job on the spot. Who knows? But either way is fine! There are companies/positions out there that are more like you and what you're looking for. It's definitely hard to be patient in this job market, but in order to be happy with the job you get, I really think you have to be patient.

It's sort of like dating, right? Heh heh, you wouldn't just leap into a relationship with someone you hardly know anything about just because their exterior is promising, right? Heh...

Yeah, don't answer that.

Oh, and good luck on those interviews.

- PatInTheHat

Alley Pat

Nobody likes you when you're 23.

I didn't learn that from a Blink-182 song. And spoiler alert: It has nothing to do with being childlike.

Twenty-three is a strange age. First off, it's the first year after the supposed 5 best years of our lives (17-22), which makes 23 a bit awkward. Secondly, it's 2 years after your 21st birthday and 2 years before your 25th. Twenty-three, for most people, is the age where your life either takes off in the career you worked your ass off for for the past 4 to 5 years, or the age where you realize all the hard work you did was basically useless rendering you dazed, confused, and broke. Twenty three, for what seems like most people, is also the age in your life where you snap out of "naivety," and enter straight into "cynical fuck." In that same time frame, you maybe even realize that "naivety" really had its perks, but it's too late to turn back now. It's that wake-up year where you finally graduate out of the Sophomore class--you just wish that happened 3 years prior. And the best part is that 23 is year where you bring everyone down with you into your hole of seemingly irreparable cynicism.

It's no wonder you're such a shit at 23, right?

About a month away from my 24th birthday, I can officially say it: I hate 23. So what's my main problem?

I love 23, too.

Without this year you, 23-year-old asshole, couldn't have figured out that there are better things out there that can reduce your cynicism to skepticism. Without this year, you douche-fuck, you never would have realized you were way too dumb to live life.

You never would have been able to exist without 23. Think about it.

Most importantly: You never would have realized who to kick the fuck out of your life.

When you meet someone else who is 23, and you realize they are being particularly douchy--you just understand. It's OK, compadre, I understand you. The rest of the world does not, but I do. And I'm perfectly OK with you.

When you meet someone who is over 23 and they are particularly douchy, do yourself a favor: Run. These motherfuckers never understood the power behind 23 like you and I did. Instead of sitting down and thinking about how fucking stupid their lives were at 23, they just decided to go right past 23 and stay at 23. They have 23-itis, and it's incurable. There is no modern medicine strong enough to cure this version of douchebagery. It's impossible.

The only way to cure the ailment of 23 is to get to 24. No, not in age. Age is just a social construct. To get past 23 you need to be 24 in mind, body, and soul. You need to realize that it's time to move on from 23 before it's too late; before it consumes you.

What was my moment, you ask? Well, actually, I had several, but there was one moment that stuck out to me the most. A lesson that I'll always remember for the rest of my life as far as anything and everything goes.

Life will knock the shit out of you at any given moment. It will suck. It will be awful. But like a scar on your skin, you'll be better than ever if you give yourself the time to realize that you can conquer life at will.

I am quite competitive. Those that know me well know that losing is not easy for me to do. (Side note: My ill-will towards losing competitive sport comes from a childhood that constantly reminded me that I would/could never be good enough for anything. At some point, those moments branded into my brain. So, if I ever lose at something because of you or other people, I'm not mad at you or anyone else for winning. In fact, I'm actually telling myself, in my head, that I suck and I'm terrible at everything--way to go--that sort of stuff. It's cognitive to it's core, but I'll conquer that one day, too. I digress...) One of the hobbies in competitive sport I have picked up over the past year is bowling. And yes, you might have guessed, I'm already quite competitive with this, too. So, knowing this, the best advice I could have received this past 24th year (yes, 24th, not 23rd) of my life was this: High five the gutterballs.

Simple, right? I wish. But it's one of the best lessons I could have received while my douche-ness was at a premium. A gutterball is the worst thing you can do in bowling--next to maybe getting goalposts on your strike throw--but the only reasons it troubles us is because of a few things: 1. Other people might think you suck at bowling 2. You might think you suck at bowling. 3. Your hand-eye coordination maybe sucks worse than you thought. If you roll a gutterball in life 1. Other people might think you suck at life. 2. You might think you suck at life. 3. You think that maybe your life sucks worse than you thought.

The thing is: All of that is bullshit. Yes, negative things happen, but quit your mopey bullshit and turn it into a positive! Look at that negative in the face and say, "Fuck you!" Make your life fun! Yes, maybe you do suck at bowling TODAY, but tomorrow you'll conquer the shit out of that bitch. Yes, maybe today was a really shitty day, but forget about it and get ready to kick tomorrow's ass!

So, what's the best way to get the fuck out of 23? That's right...

High five the gutterballs.

And maybe calm the hell down at your bowling league. Yeah.

- PatInTheHat