Do you remember when you first learned how to round numbers? For example, to round 687 to the nearest hundred, we notice it’s between 600 and 700. Since 687 is closer to 700 than it is to 600, we round up to 700. Maybe you even learned a rule: Look at the digit to the right of the one you’re rounding. If it’s 5 or greater, round up. If it’s 4 or less, round down. Rules can be good, but they can also be dangerous.
Continue reading “Dangers of Mathematical Rules”Season of Creativity
As I discussed in my yearly theme check-in a couple of weeks ago, I’ve essentially wrapped up my Year of Transition, and am looking at starting a seasonal theme.
I’ve decided to go with the one mentioned in that post: Season of Creativity.
Continue reading “Season of Creativity”Organization At Work
Follow me through a brief journey of how I kept track of projects at work over the last year or so. It’s been a doozy.
Continue reading “Organization At Work”Year of Transition Check-in
I denoted this year as the Year of Transition. The overall goal was to look forward to, and make the most of, moving to a new city. Along with that came a change in my position at work, and continued adjustments to my lifestyle as the pandemic took its course. But it might be time to transition to a new theme.
Continue reading “Year of Transition Check-in”Tin Can Bros
I recently discovered the Tin Can Bros, which I would consider an offshoot from StarKid Productions, the makers of, among other things, A Very Potter Musical.
It’s exciting to come across more genuinely hilarious musical theater. I’m no musical buff, but I enjoy comedy with a modern twist. Anything by either group is worth a watch. They remind me very much of what my friend Tim Radermacher’s style, and I love having more of that in my life. And if you’re not a fan of musicals, check out their Wayward Guide video series.
Goals of Tutoring
As I mentioned last month, I started work with Step Up Tutoring {{LINK}}. It’s been a lot of fun getting to know my student, and it’s been a rewarding experience already. I really believe in this group that I’m working with, so I’ve volunteered my time to help them work on pedagogy and curriculum, with the goal of creating an easy way for their tutors to put together the best sessions possible for their students.
Continue reading “Goals of Tutoring”I’m an Author (Almost a Year Late)
With everything that happened last year, I managed to never write about my co-authorship of the Level 3 Puzzle Book put out by my company. It was the largest project I’ve been on, and the content I’m most proud of producing. Not only did I get to write and review close to half the puzzles in the book, I managed to learn the basics of InDesign and help compile the book into its final form.
I’m shocked I didn’t write about it late last Fall when it released, but I had other non-work ideas on my mind. This popped back into my head as we were cleaning our apartment in preparation for visitors, and I came across one of my copies of the book.
I recommend taking a look at the sample PDFs on the page linked above. They puzzles are dastardly. The Level 3 is only representative of the math prerequisites, but some of the puzzles themselves would stump our employees.
Weekly Check-in
I set up a Slack workflow to run every Monday morning at 8 a.m. on my company’s slack. It sends me a form to ask a few questions about how the previous week went, and a few looking forward to the upcoming week.
I find this short check-in to be incredibly useful. It primes me for the week, and helps keep me accountable to myself. Whether it’s for personal or professional aid, I recommend giving something similar a shot.